Thursday, July 29, 2010
Mike Moustakas and some cold water
Posted by Sean SmithThe Kansas City Royals have some time ago given up on Alex Gordon becoming the next George Brett. After moving to the outfield and going back to Triple-A, Gordon is now just trying to re-establish himself as an everyday player five years after being the No. 2 pick in the draft.
The Royals have a new hope now in another third baseman taken second in the 2007 draft, Mike Moustakas. While his hitting numbers in the low minors were not eye-popping, Moustakas broke out at Double-A Northwest Arkansas this year, hitting .347 with 21 homers in only 66 games. While not quite Bondsian, he hit like Adrian Beltre on a contract drive (2009 excepted).
His stats contain some insane splits however. He hit an unreal .440/.488/.900 in his home ballpark. On the road he hit .222/.318/.398. I ran the numbers for the team and its opponents, and I see they all hit .293 with a .462 slugging percentage in that park, and .253/.372 in road games.
Promoted to Triple-A, Moustakas is hitting only .220/.230/.356. He may need a lot more time before he's ready to play third in Kansas City. Meanwhile, Eric Hosmer moves up to Northwest Arkansas. Watch out for some big numbers from him.
Sean Smith is a lifelong Angels fan despite never visiting the west coast until April 2006. His work can also be found at baseballprojection.com and Anaheim Angels All the Way and he can be contacted by email.