It can't be said enough -- the emergence of Houston Astros hurler Charlie Morton as an elite starting pitcher in baseball is simply breathtaking.

After bursting onto the scene last year for the champs, Morton has continued to deal in 2018. In 19 starts, he is 11-2 with a 2.96 ERA, 3.29 FIP and 3.09 xFIP -- all numbers that tell you Morton's baseball card stats are legit. He's whiffing 11.7 batters per game with a strikeout rate of 31.2%. Remember, this is a guy who has a career strikeout rate of 18.7%.

Morton's increase in velocity is the main reason for this improvement as he's averaging 95.9 miles per hour on his fastball. In 2012, when he was with the Pirates, it was 89.9 miles per hour. Morton had copied his mechanics from the late Roy Halladay, and he is now actually pitching like him, making him a pitcher to target for a second-half run at the postseason.