Walk-off caps Moore's first multihomer game
Christian Moore has accomplished a lot in his young baseball career. Prior to the Angels drafting him eighth overall in July, the 21-year-old led Tennessee to a national championship and set program records for career (61) and single-season home runs (34). But the one thing he never got to do,
Christian Moore has accomplished a lot in his young baseball career. Prior to the Angels drafting him eighth overall in July, the 21-year-old led Tennessee to a national championship and set program records for career (61) and single-season home runs (34).
But the one thing he never got to do, dating back to Little League, was hit a walk-off. That was until Wednesday, when the second baseman continued his torrid introduction to Minor League Baseball.
In just his fifth professional game, Moore led the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas to a 7-5 win at Toyota Field with his second home run of the day -- an opposite-field shot with two outs in the ninth inning to break the tie. The native of Brooklyn, N.Y., collected four hits and drove in three runs to raise his OPS across two levels to 1.616.
📩 CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO BEN'S BIZ
There are hot starts to pro ball and then there's how Moore has played. Through 24 at-bats in five games, he has 12 hits, four homers, 10 RBIs and nine runs. His only unproductive game to date was an 0-for-4 contest on Tuesday, and he quickly learned from that one.
"Yesterday, the approach for them was to throw me offspeeds," Moore said. "Going into today, I had a different gameplan. I was sitting on more offspeeds in certain counts. It was a good day, putting some good swings on it."
True to form, Moore punished the breaking balls all night. On his first trip to the plate, he jumped on a 1-1 hanger and deposited it over the left-field fence. After taking a fastball up the middle in the fifth, he laced another breaking ball to center in the seventh. And when he crushed yet another bender in the ninth, this time to the end the game, he triumphantly flipped his bat, pounded his chest and lifted his right hand to the sky.
Moore has dreamed of such walk-off situations since he was a kid. He's had opportunities here and there but had yet to deliver. Less than two months ago in the NCAA Super Regionals, he came to the plate in the ninth down two runs with two on and two out with a chance to put the Vols ahead and secure a spot in the Men's College World Series.
"I hit a popup, and moments like that, you don't really forget," Moore said. "When you're in the cage as a kid, 'All right, last swing,' That's kind of the mindset you put yourself in -- 3-2 count, I want to hit a walk-off or a game-winning home run. You definitely practice it a lot. For me to actually live it was definitely something cool. Hopefully I get to do it again."
The way Moore is playing, he'll surely have more chances in the future. It's more a matter of where his next walk-off opportunity will come.
The Angels have been known for aggressively challenging their Draft picks. Last year's first-rounder Nolan Schanuel made the Majors just 40 days after getting selected 11th overall. Shortstop Zach Neto (2022 first-rounder) was the first in his class when he debuted in The Show nine months after going 13th overall. Chase Silseth (11th round) was fastest to the bigs among 2021 draftees, with first-rounder Sam Bachman (ninth overall pick) following soon after.
Moore only needed two games with Single-A Inland Empire before getting his first promotion, but he's taking things day by day.
"That walk-off's in the past. I've got to get another one the next day," he said.
The last few months have been a whirlwind, from Knoxville and Omaha to the California League and Southern League. But it's not like he has any real complaints.
"I've been all over, visiting new places that I've never been," Moore said. "It's really cool. At some point, when the season's over, or hopefully I have a long career when it's all said and done, I can kind of reflect and sit down and think about all the places I've been, all the people I've met, all the food I've tasted. ... I've been in so many different places, so many different states in the last couple of months. It's been fun, but it feels nice to have a home in Huntsville."
Ben Weinrib is a contributor for MiLB.com.
Minor League Baseball, Joe Torre Safe At Home partnership enters ninth year
For the ninth year, Minor League Baseball and Joe Torre Safe At Home have teamed up to raise awareness about violence and abuse and to inspire fans of all ages to join them in SAH’s critical work. This year, 63 MiLB teams will participate in an in-ballpark initiative from May
MiLB podcast discusses Anthony, Caglianone at Triple-A
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
These are the greatest Minor League promos happening in June
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
New playoff format coming to 2025 Dominican Summer League
Minor League Baseball announced the 2025 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season will begin June 2 with Opening Day festivities taking place at the Boston Red Sox Academy in Guerra. The 2025 campaign will also see the introduction of the DSL Cup, a new playoff format that will see 16 DSL
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other