Kade Morris has a routine before every start: take a deep breath, focus, count to one. The Las Vegas Aviators right-hander, ranked as the Athletics’ No. 12 prospect by MLB Pipeline, has used breathwork and meditation to harness his intense competitive nature, posting a 2.45 ERA with 10 strikeouts over 11 innings in his first two starts this season.
“I’m a fiery dude — I use my emotions on the mound, but I also don’t want to be too much,” Morris said. “There’s a fine line. That goes for this game in general. If you ride the roller coaster, if you get too low, you get too high all the time, you’re going to have inconsistency.”
His mental preparation faced a test on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Comets. After giving up back-to-back home runs to Ryan Ward and James Tibbs III in the third inning, Morris composed himself, struck out Jack Suwinski, and pitched 2⅓ more scoreless frames.
“It didn’t faze him one bit,” Aviators manager Fran Riordan said. “He just kept on attacking, got out of the inning, and went back out there for 2⅓ more. I think that would’ve been a different story last year.”
Catcher Bryan Lavastida, who faced Morris last June as an opponent and now catches him, praised the pitcher’s demeanor. “He’s got that bulldog presence,” Lavastida said. “He’s locked in and he’s not letting anything rattle him.”
The Athletics acquired Morris from the New York Mets at the 2024 trade deadline for pitcher Paul Blackburn. The deal reunited Morris with childhood friend Tyler Soderstrom, the former Aviators catcher now playing left field. Both grew up in Turlock, California, and Soderstrom’s father Steve, a former Giants pitcher, was Morris’ pitching coach.
Morris went 7-7 with a 5.22 ERA in his first stint with Las Vegas last year, but he believes his refined mental approach will lead to better results.
Perez Crushes Longest Triple-A Homer
Outfielder Junior Perez, the A’s No. 20 prospect, hit a 453-foot three-run home run on March 31 off Comets reliever Jordan Weems. The blast, which came off an 85.1 mph splitter, left his bat at 109.9 mph — the highest exit velocity of any Aviators homer this year. Perez is batting .281 with eight RBIs and two stolen bases.
“The physical tools are off the charts,” Riordan said. “The sky’s the limit with the talent he has, it’s just a matter of Junior keeping that consistency and keeping that focus on having really good at-bats every night.”
Aviators Hit the Road with Best Record in PCL
After a 7-2 homestand, Las Vegas leads the Pacific Coast League in runs per game (8.22), run differential (+33), home runs (15), and stolen bases (19). The team begins a road trip Tuesday against the Sacramento River Cats, followed by a series against the Reno Aces.
“I love this ballclub,” Riordan said. “These guys are playing well as a group. They’re playing together, and it’s fun to watch them motivate each other on a daily basis.”
Zack Gelof leads the team with four homers, while outfielder Henry Bolte, the A’s No. 5 prospect, ranks second in the PCL with five steals. Catcher Brian Serven boasts a .571 average in six games.
