What to expect from Angels top prospect Moore in The Show

"Dude, you’re blind."

Those three words changed the trajectory of Christian Moore’s life. That’s what an eye examiner at the University of Tennessee told Moore in the fall of his freshman year. A visit to the eye doctor and some prescription contacts later, and the infielder was off and running, posting a 1.062 OPS with 10 homers as a freshman in 2022.

As a sophomore, he finished with 17 homers and an OPS again north of 1.000. Then there was the pièce de résistance as a junior: .375/.451/.797 with 34 home runs, setting both the season and career home run marks for the Volunteers while helping them win a Men's College World Series title.

When Moore’s name was called as the No. 8 pick in the 2024 Draft, the clock immediately started ticking. The combination of some advanced offensive skills and the fact that Angels first-round picks get to the big leagues in a hurry had everyone in a “when and not if” frame of mind.

The fact that he got to Double-A in the summer after signing and was raking (combined .347/.400/.584 over 25 games) certainly didn’t move anyone off of that narrative. Even a knee injury that shelved him for a while and kept him from a September callup did nothing to dissuade people from thinking the Angels' top prospect would join Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel as recent college hitter first-round picks who reached Los Angeles quickly.

So it did come as a bit of a surprise to many that he scuffled a bit out of the gate in 2025. After getting a long look in big league camp during Spring Training, he was sent to Double-A to start his first full season of pro ball, and at the end of April, he was staring at a .219/.356/.356 line. He was striking out at a 26.7 percent rate, offset a little bit by a healthy walk rate (17.8 pct).

Perhaps he was just trying to do too much. Or maybe he’s just a slow starter who needs a bunch of at-bats to get going. In his time at Tennessee, he hit four homers combined in February. Could be coincidental, could be a trend.

Whatever the reason, he started clicking in May with Rocket City. The power wasn’t coming yet, but he was settling in after the first week of that month, batting .310 during a seven-game hit streak from May 11-18. That was enough for the Angels to move him to Triple-A.

Before he left Double-A, he did make a minor swing adjustment. Again, was it that minor mechanical shift or just getting his feet under him and listening to the advice to just stay within himself and things would happen? Regardless, MLB's No. 56 prospect looked like the first-rounder destined to make the big league roster sooner rather than later as soon as he got to Salt Lake, slashing .350/.424/.575 with nine extra-base hits in 20 games. There was still some swing-and-miss along with walks but he was impacting the ball again.

The Angels saw enough to bring him up in time for a swing through AL East opponents in Baltimore and then to his home turf in New York. The Angels have been playing better ball of late, 7-3 over their last 10 (amazing what the presence of a healthy Mike Trout can do), so there isn’t as much pressure on Moore to be any kind of savior. He just needs to be an upgrade from the second basemen the Angels have employed to date, and they haven’t gotten much offensive production from anyone in the spot this year, from Kyren Paris to Tim Anderson to Scott Kingery.

At his best, Moore can easily drive the ball to all fields, which should play well at Angel Stadium, and when he doesn’t try to do too much, he can hit the ball out anywhere, including straightaway center field. There’s likely going to keep being some swing-and-miss, especially as he gets established, but he’ll also see pitches, run deep counts and draw walks.

Moore’s high-energy style of play is infectious. He might only be an average runner, but he isn’t afraid to steal a base -- and he definitely likes to take extra ones when he can. He’s worked to become a serviceable defender at the keystone and should be able to stay there, though he’s seen time at third and in the outfield should the need arise.

Being tested with a trip to Baltimore and to Yankee Stadium right out of the gate should be eye-opening for the 22-year-old. But he has a tendency to rise to the occasion, so don’t be shocked to see him do something dramatic in the next week. There might be some ups-and-downs at the plate, but he still has every chance to be an outstanding offensive-minded second baseman who provides 25 homers annually in the big leagues.