Angels’ Christian Moore aims for quick promotion to Anaheim
The Angels stormed first-round college players Zach Neto And Nolan Schanuel into the big leagues.
So the question was only half-joking when the Angels drafted the second baseman from Tennessee. Christian Moore with the eighth overall pick.
An author asked the Angels’ scouting director Tim McIlvaine if Moore were to work with a major league manager Ron Washington this summer.
“No, we’re going to give Christian time to fight through it,” McIlvaine said. “I mean, he’s a talented kid and we’re going to do everything we can to get him ready for the major leagues.”
One week after starting his professional career, Moore’s pace matched that of Neto and Schanuel.
The right-hander, who signed for a well-under-average $5 million, played just two games for Low-A Inland Empire before being promoted to Double-A Rocket City on August 2.
In 12 Southern League games, he had a batting average of .383/.442/.723 with five home runs.
“Christian is hungry and I think once he gets into that professional environment, he’s going to take off,” McIlvaine said. “He’s got a lot of power. He plays with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence. He’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
Moore has considerable strength in his muscular 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame, which he demonstrated this season with a .375 batting average and 34 home runs while leading Tennessee to its first College World Series title.
A routine medical examination before Moore’s first year of college laid the foundation for his advancement. He learned that he suffered from astigmatism in his right eye.
“I had a vision test as part of my physical exam and the doctor told me to cover my left eye and read as much (of the eye chart) as I could,” Moore said. “I said, ‘A, B, D.’ He said, ‘That’s all you can see?’ I said, ‘Pretty much.’
“He told me to try the other eye. Same thing. He said, ‘Dude, you’re blind. How are you doing here now? How can you be a hitter in the SEC?’
“I was like, ‘I don’t know. I’m just going to punch the white thing that’s coming toward my face.’ Eventually, it turned out that my eyes were pretty bad, so they fitted me with contact lenses. That definitely helped.”
