Prospect of the Day: Jeremy Moore, OF, Los Angeles Angels
by John Sickels on Aug 24, 2011 8:00 AM EDT
Email
Print
Prospect of the Day: Jeremy Moore, OF, Los Angeles Angels
Angels outfield prospect Jeremy Moore is a good example of the complex interaction between a player's tools and his skills.
Jeremy Moore was drafted by the Angels in the sixth round in 2005, from high school in Vivian, Louisiana. He was a multiple sport star in high school, and rather raw as a baseball player, but the Angels felt his power/speed combination was worthy of development. It took him two years to get out of the Arizona Rookie League, then in 2007 he hit .272 with 14 homers and 17 steals for Orem in the Pioneer League.
Promoted to Low-A Cedar Rapids for '08, he hit just .240 and struck out 125 times with just 21 walks in 362 at-bats, but he also hit 12 triples and 17 homers while stealing 28 bases. He hit .279/.330/.443 with 11 homers and 17 steals for High-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2009, then .303/.358/.463 with 10 triples, 13 homers, and 24 steals last year for Double-A Arkansas.
This year for Triple-A Salt Lake, Moore is hitting .299/.334/.541 with 23 doubles, 15 triples, 14 homers, 17 steals, and a 20/107 BB/K ratio in 394 at-bats.
The 24-year-old Moore is a left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, listed at 6-1, 190 pounds. His only weak physical tool is a substandard throwing arm, although this hasn't stopped the Angels from using him in right field frequently. He is very fast and can handle center field without difficulty. He'll make errors on defense, but his range is a major asset.
His speed also shows up on offense, particularly with the large number of triples he hits. He's exceeded double-digits in triples for four consecutive seasons. He is still refining his baserunning skills to go with the speed tool and isn't a terrific percentage stealer, although his ratios are improving. Unlike many speedy players, Moore has legitimate gap power and will knock occasional home runs.
Moore's biggest problem is plate discipline. His swing is mechanically sound, but he is overaggressive and seldom draws walks, hampering his OBP and reducing the value of his speed at the top of an order. A .299 batting average and .334 OBP aren't that impressive for Salt Lake and the Pacific Coast League, and with his current approach he would be hard-pressed to duplicate these numbers in the majors.
That said, Moore's toolset stands out, and his combination of speed, occasional power, and defensive ability is tempting. The flaws in his skills give him a high risk factor, but even a small amount of progress in his hitting approach could take him a long way.
15 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I can think of more than a few teams that should really try to pry this guy off of the Angels
The Angels don’t seem to have a slot for him in the foreseeable future, and I think he’s been really overlooked relative to his talent level.
Granderson
With a bit of work on plate discipline, I think this kid projects as a lesser version of Curtis Granderson c. 2006/2007. No, I have not lost my mind…
Moore has substantial extra-base pop, no arm for RF, can play CF but likely will end up in LF, can steal some bases, and needs to draw more walks. For reference, Grandy’s first full MLB season also didn’t come until he was 25 b/c he came out of college, whereas Moore came out of HS, but CG still needed the equivalence of three full years even coming out of a collegiate program (U of I-Chicago).
FWIW, I’m not a Moore (or even an Angels) booster – I’d hardly heard of the kid before this article, but he is an intriguing prospect.
I hope your right
Minor League Ball's 2010 Rookie of the Year Poster
If you didn't know by now, my screen name is sarcastic
by mathisrocks5 on Aug 24, 2011 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
his right what?
don’t leave us hanging.
by PissedMick on Aug 24, 2011 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Moore's tools and skills also converge in his consistently high BABIP's
Last year (including the AFL) he hit .341 on groundballs in play, which is almost 100 points above average. Before anyone says that’s just a product random variation, here’s a better explanation.
He had an above average infield hit rate of nearly 17%, a function of his speed tool.
Moore has an uncommon skill to go along with his hit tool: he goes the other way with authority. Last year, on all balls in play to the left side, he hit .342, about 80 points higher than the average player (that I looked at). That wasn’t luck — his isolated slugging going to the opposite field was twice the average, and 40% of his HR’s cleared the left field fence (33% to center). He clearly has a knack for squaring balls up in that direction, and that isn’t very common. If he learns to turn on the ball, lookout, as his HR numbers could spike big time.
His first half numbers this year on balls in play didn’t fully maintain the 2010 trends, possibly because he was working on his pull stroke, but in the last two months he’s rediscovered his opposite field mojo. That actually mirrors his 2010 season closely, when he made up for a slow first half by exploding in June and then carrying his success over all the way into the AFL.
I haven’t looked into enough of that data to know what correlation the BABIP “skills” have to major league success, but he clearly is doing a lot of things right. While his first half numbers indicate some stagnation, he could still break out at any point.
wow I always thought his ceiling was as 4th outfielder
go long with extenze...i do
by angelsownredsux on Aug 25, 2011 1:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Trade bait?
I just don’t see a place on the major league team, at least not until 2013 – and maybe not even then – so he might have more value as trade bait, perhaps to net a third baseman or package with Erick Aybar for a better shortstop. He’s actually more valuable to another team than he is to the Angels, with Bourjos and Trout ahead of him in CF. If Moore can hit .270/.320/.450 with extra base hits and speed in CF, he’ll be a useful major leaguer. Those numbers aren’t so great in the corners, though.
The Angels need to get rid of one of the Old Guys (Wells, Abreu, and Hunter) just to get Trout in the lineup next year. Given demand and contracts, Abreu is most likely to go, although I’d love to see him become a part-time player, full-time batting coach. And if Morales comes back, the problem is compounded even further and the Angels might try to trade Hunter. But the thing is, the Angels shouldn’t have to consider benching or sending down one of Bourjos, Trumbo, or Trout. For the millionth time I’m just scratching my head at the Wells trade.
Once Mike Scioscia gets used to seeing Trout and Bourjos in the same outfield, and once Trout gets enough bats to adjust, there is no way he’s going to send the Little Fish back to the farm. Trout is Scioscia’s dream player (actually, he’s any manager’s dream player).
The Angels actually have a few solid outfield prospects for once. After Trout, they’ve got Moore, Kole Calhoun (a nice sleeper, if a bit on the old side for A+), Travis Witherspoon, Michael Wing, Randal Grichuk, and a couple guys in Orem, not to mention the super-toolsy-but-raw Bolden and Clarke in AZL. I don’t see any sure things (other than Trout), and possibly no stars, but the best outfield prospect the Angels have had in years.
Angels Outfield
I could see Moore in maybe a year and a half. At that time Abreu and I think Hunter will be gone. So Moore, Bourjos, and Trout in OF
Moore or Calhoun?
Who do folks (including John) like better? I’m loving Calhoun’s all-around numbers: .316/.409/.538 with 71 walks, even a few SB (18). He’s not young at 23 in A+, but if he adjusts well to AA Arkansas next year, he could conceivably be in the majors for good in 2013 at age 25, sort of like Trumbo.
How is Calhoun defensively?
the angels have a stacked outfield its redicoulous,
Right now with wells hunter abreau and bourgerouis there is alot of switrching going on. Most of there careers will be done within the next 3 or 4 years, minus bourgerouis. With trout and now this guyt in the minors there futur outfield looks good.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Minor League Ball
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
