December 1, 2008

 

Position: First Base/Right Field
Hits/Throws: Left/Left
Height/Weight: 6'2''/230
Birthday: 9/6/1985 (Age 23)
Roster Status: Rule V Eligible after 2010 Season; Minor League Free Agent after 2013 Season

Background: Mitch Moreland joined the Rangers via the 17th round of the 2007 draft out of Mississippi State University. Prior to playing at MSU, Moreland was a star two-way player for Amory High School in the town of the same name in Mississippi. At Amory, Moreland lettered four times, and was the key piece to their team from his sophomore season on. His sophomore year, his best aspect was pitching, where he went 5-0 with a 2.43 ERA. His junior year, he excelled in both pitching and hitting. From the mound, he posted a 13-1 record with a 1.60 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 73 innings. He hit .425 with 7 home runs, as well. He dominated competition his senior year, going 7-1 with a 0.53 ERA from the mound and hitting .456 at the plate. Mississippi State recruited him to play both ways, and he excelled there, too. His freshman year at MSU, Moreland got only 57 at-bats and a single pitching appearance. He hit .316/.391/.474 in those 57 at-bats, slugging a pair of home runs. His only outing was a shutout inning in relief. He became a more integral part of the MSU team during his sophomore year, though he mainly hit. In 138 at-bats as a sophomore, he hit .319/.428/.486, hitting 5 home runs and driving in 23. From the mound, he compiled a 2-0 record with a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings, striking out 16 and walking 4. When Moreland returned for his junior campaign, many thought he'd be a breakout candidate in the SEC. He did in fact have his best season, leading the Bulldogs to the College World Series in Omaha. Playing in all 60 team games, he hit .343/.419/.577 with 10 home runs and 26 doubles, a team record. From the mound, he went 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA in 19.2 innings, striking out 28 and walking just 3. He struggled over whether to go pro following his junior season, but he ultimately decided that the Ranger organization was what's best for him, and scout Jeff Wood signed him following his collegiate season's finish.

Tools: Moreland's only plus tool coming into the 2007 draft was his plus raw power. Most scouts were not convinced that his hit tool would hold up against more advanced pro pitching. His swing is indeed fairly long and with some holes, but he's really improved his plate coverage in the year plus he's had in the organization. He strikes out a lot less than anticipated, so I'd say his hit tool is a tick above-average and possibly on the rise. As for the plus raw power, he's started to convert that into results. He's continued to rake doubles as a pro, but more are starting to find their way over the fence. I'd grade his power as somewhere around 65 on the 20-80 scale, and it's a pretty sure thing. On the fielding side of things, Moreland is a pretty average first baseman. However, the Rangers have been playing him quite a bit in right field to allow room for first Ian Gac and later Justin Smoak. He's not a good outfielder, though that could be from lack of experience. His arm is a tick above-average for first base, though it doesn't really sit too well in right field. He threw in the mid- to high-80s off the mound in college, so that's pretty good. He had four assists from right with Clinton, so I could be wrong here. As for speed, don't expect too much. He'll never be a basestealing threat, and his lack of speed will ultimately keep him from being an average outfielder. On the whole, Moreland's value lies much more in his bat than his glove.

Professional Experience: Moreland made his pro debut late in 2007 with Spokane in the Northwest League. After a layoff of close to two months following the close of his junior season at MSU, Moreland showed some rust in his month with Spokane. In 108 at-bats with the Indians, he hit .259/.308/.398, a far cry from his production in college. He struck out 25 times and only walked 8 times, another variation from the norm for Moreland. He did have 10 extra-base hits though, a good indicator of future success. He played first base for the Indians most of the time, making a pair of errors in 21 games there. Overall, his 2007 debut was mainly to get his feet wet against pro competition, and his 2008 was expected to be better.

2008 Season: Moreland was surprisingly missing from all the full-season rosters when the season began. However, he joined Clinton very shortly after that point and proceeded to tear up the Midwest League. Faced with his first full pro season, Moreland excelled from start to finish, hitting below .300 in only one month (July). His power came and went, but he was easily the LumberKings' most consistent hitter. In 466 at-bats, Moreland finished with a line of .324/.400/.536, striking out only 67 times and walking 60 times. He also managed to hit 18 home runs, 4 triples, and 37 doubles, along with 99 RBI. His OPS sat 243 points above the league average in a league that is widely considered a pitchers' league. It took awhile for people to really notice Moreland, but by the end of the season, he was seen as one of the Rangers' most surprising prospects. Most 17th-rounders don't do what Moreland did in their first full pro seasons. However, Moreland firmly established himself on the Rangers' radar, and he has his exceptionally strong 2008 campaign to thank.

Future Outlook: Moreland is one of the more controversial prospects in the Texas organization. Some see his 2008 success as a blip due to his age in a league that has a lot of players younger than him and playing their first pro season. However, with the kind of hitting ability Moreland showed, it's hard to ignore his success. I expect Moreland to begin 2009 with Bakersfield, where he'll once again be pushed off first base by teammate Justin Smoak. It's likely he'll see more time at right field, though I think he'll DH a fair amount of times, too. Fielding is not Moreland's forte, so it's the bat that will get him advanced. If he succeeds in the hitter-friendly Cal League, expect him to be challenged with a mid-season promotion to Frisco, though that could be challenging if Smoak also hits his way out of Bakersfield. Moreland is not the Rangers' long-term first baseman, but he could easily be a backup firstman/right fielder/designated hitter option on a Ranger squad that could use his bat. I expect to see Moreland in Arlington by September 2010, but only if he continues to hit. He's a valuable player, and he'll play almost all of 2009 at just 23 years old.

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