The Los Angeles Angels went for MLB readiness when they drafted Tennessee infielder Christian Moore in the first-round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Moore was dominant in his junior season at Tennessee, helping lead the Volunteers to the College World Series championship.
Shortly after the Angels drafted him, they suggested that they were excited for him to learn from manager Ron Washington, suggesting that his path to the Majors could reflect the expedited ones of infielders Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto. They started him in Class-A Inland Empire, but knew he wouldn’t be there for long.
He played just two games for the 66ers. He went 6-for-11 in those two games with two doubles, a homer, a walk and no strikeouts. And while baseball can be a streaky game inherently, the Angels felt they had seen enough to move him up the ranks, promoting him to Double-A Rocket City.
The Rocket City Trash Pandas are home to several of the team’s top prospects at the moment. Five of the Angels top 10 prospects — Caden Dana (No. 1), Nelson Rada (2), Denzer Guzman (5), Samuel Aldegheri (8) and Jack Kochanowicz (9) are all with Rocket City, and Moore joins them after two professional games.
He was promoted on Aug. 2 and made his debut on Aug. 3. He went 2-for-4 with a home run and now has a 1.629 OPS in three minor league games. At this rate, it may not be long before Moore is debuting with the big-league team in an effort to get some experience in 2024.
The Angels are known to rush their players through the system, especially when they perform particularly well at the lower levels. With all the trade rumors surrounding Luis Rengifo at the trade deadline and his subsequent injury, it’s possible they’ll want Moore to come and play some second base so if Rengifo is traded this offseason, their backup plan is ready and waiting.
Angels fully turning to youth
Previously, Washington had made it a point to keep Neto and Logan O’Hoppe in the bottom half of the lineup as they develop, while Schanuel had done more bouncing around from top to bottom. But the injury to Rengifo left the Angels in a tough spot with available players, and Neto advocated for himself and the young pillars.
Washington revealed that Neto spoke to him and said that he wanted to be moved back to the No. 2 spot in the lineup, and it was that request that led to the lineup switch. Washington put Schanuel at leadoff, Neto at No. 2 and O’Hoppe at No. 3.