With Trout on IL, former top prospect Moore gets another shot with Angels

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Lost in the shuffle of superstar Mike Trout unfortunately going on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain on Thursday was the Angels calling up former top prospect Christian Moore, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 Draft.

Moore made his season debut in Thursday’s 5-0 loss to the Athletics, going 1-for-4 at the plate while making his first Major League appearance in left field, which saw him make a misplay in the first and an error in the fifth. He started at designated hitter on Friday and is expected to also see action at second and third base going forward, but the Angels want to continue to experiment with him in left after he played nine games there with Triple-A Salt Lake this season.

“It's been good and it's been bad, obviously,” Moore said. “I'm trying to take it all in and still learn each and every day. I’m putting the work in and I have a lot of confidence out there, but you're going to see the good and the bad. So I'm going to keep working and keep talking to guys like Jo [Adell] and Mike and figure it out.”

In the first inning on Thursday, he lost track of a deep drive down the left-field corner from Nick Kurtz that was affected by the wind and dropped in for a double as part of a five-run first frame. And in the fifth, he overran a fly ball down the left-field line from Jonah Heim that hit off his glove for a two-base error.

But manager Kurt Suzuki said Moore can learn from those mistakes, adding that it can be tough playing outfield at Sutter Health Park because of the wind and the lack of upper-deck seating.

“Let's be honest, this guy has played left field maybe a handful of games,” Suzuki said. “Yesterday, when you looked at the flags, it was whipping around. So some tough reads and then the other one he had to run really far, looked like he just overran it a little bit. But those are all learning experiences and the guy's a superior athlete, so he's gonna catch on fast.”

Adell made sure to take time to talk with Moore during and after Thursday’s game to give him advice and make sure not to get too down. Adell has made his fair share of notable mistakes in the outfield, including twice having a ball go off his glove and over the fence for the second four-base error in Adell's career.

But since making that error on June 2, Adell has slashed .321/.367/.446 with a homer, four doubles and seven RBIs in 14 games (entering Friday) while also making several strong defensive plays in right.

“There were some fluke plays yesterday but I’ve been a part of them,” Adell said. “It’s baseball, and the more he's out there, the more he's going to know what to look for. It doesn't mean more things won't arise, but that's part of the game. He’ll be fine. He’ll be adaptable and figure it out.”

Moore also figures to see some time at second base, although it’s a crowded position for the Angels with rookie Denzer Guzman entrenched at third base. Oswald Peraza, Nick Madrigal, Donovan Walton and Vaughn Grissom also will find themselves in the mix with Moore. The Angels will use the DH based on matchups, including having Moore there for the first time in his career on Friday.

“C-Mo being here, he's gonna play a lot over there [at second] but we also have Peraza, Walton, Madrigal over there, too,” Suzuki said. “So you want to try to give guys every opportunity so it's a day-by-day type of thing.”

The Angels want the 23-year-old in the lineup as much as possible for his development, but he was also crushing the ball at Triple-A. He slashed .333/.468/.585 with nine homers, 14 doubles, four triples, 10 stolen bases and 45 RBIs in 51 games. He was particularly hot in June, batting .459 with six homers and 23 RBIs in 15 games.

“Just doing damage on pitches over the heart of the zone,” Moore said. “As far as walking a lot early, the pitches I was getting, I was trying to lay off pitches at the bottom of the zone and trying to elevate the ball a little more and that resulted in more walks. But really just looking to do damage on pitches over the plate.”