Angels call up top prospect Christian Moore

BALTIMORE -- The Angels called up their top prospect, Christian Moore, on Friday. Ranked as baseball's No. 56 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, the second baseman started and batted ninth in the opener against the Orioles in Baltimore. To make room on the roster, outfielder Matthew Lugo was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake after Wednesday's game.

“I won’t say I sensed it coming,” Moore said. “I just knew I had to keep doing what I was doing, and good things can happen. Obviously, you read [X] and stuff like that, and people are saying stuff. But you don’t know what it is, and what the guys are thinking. I’m here now, and I’m blessed for it.”

Moore was selected eighth overall in the 2024 Draft out of Tennessee by the Angels. After posting a .984 OPS across two levels in 25 games last season, Moore began his season with Double-A Rocket City, where he had a .665 OPS in 34 games. The Angels promoted Moore to Triple-A Salt Lake on May 20, where he posted a .999 OPS and hit four home runs in 20 games.

“It seems like the industry seems to think [this kid] is ready, so I got to think he’s ready, too,” said manager Ron Washington. “Sometimes, you’ve got to will these guys to do what they have to do. We’ll find out tonight, we’ll find out tomorrow, we’ll find out the next day. So we’ve just got to let it play out. I’m happy for him. He was struggling in Double-A, they sent him to Triple-A, he took off. Maybe he got his swagger back. So, we’re going to find out.”

Moore’s promotion follows a similar pattern of the Angels aggressively promoting their top Draft picks and prospects. Angels shortstop Zach Neto, who was selected 13th overall out of Campbell in the 2022 Draft, became the first player from his Draft class to reach the Majors when he debuted in April 2023. In the 2023 Draft, Nolan Schanuel was selected 11th overall out of Florida Atlantic and debuted in the Majors less than six weeks after being drafted.

“You can take it as, I’ve got to play well, I’ve got to play well, I’ve got to do this now,” Moore said. “Or you can take it as, if I play well, I’ll get called up soon, and there’s no pressure. I don’t know. Again, I just wanted to get used to playing every day, one. And again, just find the person that I am and the player that I am.”

Moore participated in several MLB Develops events as a youth, including the Dream Series (2018-20), Breakthrough Series (2018-19) and Hank Aaron Invitational (2019).

Moore will make his debut with the Angels with a familiar face in Ron Washington, with the Angels manager having previously worked with the youngster as part of the MLB Develops program when Moore was a teenager.

Washington said he expects to use Moore regularly over a six-game road trip in Baltimore and New York. While a dozen or so friends and family were expected for his debut in Baltimore, the latter series in The Bronx could bring out a much larger herd.

“If I go to New York, that will be insane, I'm sure,” the Brooklyn-born Moore said. “I don’t know how many people, in the 50s or 60s, maybe more.”