Predicting when Christian Moore will make his major league debut in 2025

Much has been said regarding the Angels' poorly ranked pipeline, but their top position player prospect is right on the precipice of his Major League debut. Christian Moore is going to be traveling with the Angels to Los Angeles for the annual spring training Freeway Series against the Dodgers, but he will likely be sent down to the minor leagues immediately after. Barring a miracle, Moore will marinate in the minor leagues for some time before being moved up. It's widely expected that he is brought up eventually, but when exactly will that be?

When should Angels fans expect to see Moore make his debut? While they might not have the most fearsome second basemen, it appears the Angels have a lot of depth to utilize before they get to Moore. Luis Rengifo, Tim Anderson, and Kevin Newman will all fill in at second base during the season, especially after Zach Neto returns from his injury. The Angels also have Kyren Paris -- who improbably emerged during spring training and passed Moore on the depth chart. They also returned Scott Kingery after he cleared waivers, who is a super-utility player that could easily filter into second base from time-to-time. Neto and Moore will be up the middle for many years to come, but the organization will likely proceed with caution as they play their way through 2025 season.

Well, Moore might be blocked at second base, but could he be transitioned to the outfield? Keith Law of The Athletic is one of many scouts who believes Moore's long-term value will be boosted if he is moved out of the infield. Assuming Moore is even tried out in left field as Law suggests he should, it would be a long-term project. Additionally, he certainly did not flash as much as Matthew Lugo did in their spring training at bats. The Angels are more focused on Moore transitioning into a hybrid-second and third baseman role, like Rengifo, right now anyways.

In theory, Christian Moore has a higher ceiling than any Angels' second baseman if he clicks. It's betting a lot on him to do so, however, as he was a player who was just drafted in 2024. While the Angels rushed Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel to the Show, it sure seems like the Angels might take a more cautious approach with Moore. More cautious in the sense that he will not make the team as soon as possible. Ron Washington's old-school mentality and major critiques of his youngsters' infield defense (he has been critical of Paris and Moore's ability to play big league defense) might shift the Angels away from their philosophy of rushing prospects in this circumstance.

Moore will kick it for a while in the minor leagues, and work on sticking in the infield in order to throw Law's skepticism in his face when his time comes for a promotion. Prediction: the Angels' offense hits a snag in late-April, early-May range and Moore gets promoted to give the team a boost.

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