What Christian Moore's callup means to the Angels, beyond his performance

Finally, Angels fans have the long-awaited callup they were pining for.  

Ok, that’s a bit of a stretch, considering we’re talking about Christian Moore, who was drafted 8th overall just last year; but it does feel as if his debut has been dangling just out of reach for some time. A knee injury derailed his seemingly inevitable promotion late in 2024, and after an offseason where the Angels either whiffed or passed on some obvious infield upgrades (Gleyber Torres, Hyesong and Ha-Seong Kim) while instead adding apparent placeholders (Tim Anderson, Kevin Newman, Nicky Lopez), many saw second base as Moore’s position to lose in Spring Training.

Which he promptly did, struggling mightily and finding himself at Double-A Rocket City to start the year.

It’s still a fast rise to the Majors, on any team other than the Angels, and Moore got his shot against Baltimore last weekend. And he was…there?

That’s about it. Moore played the first two games and came on as a defensive replacement in the third, going 0 for 6 with one walk and three strikeouts. He held his own in the field with three putouts, no errors and being part of two double plays. None of which made for a scintillating debut, but also isn’t anything to be concerned about. Even Mike Trout only went 1 for 10 in his first three game, and not even the most optimistic Angels fan is suggesting Moore is the next Trout.  

Can he lock down 2nd base?

So Moore’s arrival is yet to light up the boxscore, but what it means for the Angels on a broader scale is more intriguing. To start with, just being a consistent presence at second base will be a benefit. The Angels have used 7 other players at that position this year, and they’ve combined for a miserable slashline of .189/.260/.264. Their depth at the position, which wasn’t comfortable to begin with, has further diminished with the release of Lopez and Anderson, Kyren Paris cooling off and Chris Taylor’s fractured hand. If Moore can hit at all, and everything in his career to date suggests that he can, then he should make the middle bag his own, and allow Scott Kingery and Kevin Newman to settle back into being the bench pieces they should always have been.

The Rengifo factor

He may also be exactly the wakeup call that Luis Rengifo needs. Rengifo has been an enigma for several years. At times, his ability to play all over the diamond, switch-hit for power and run rampant on the bases has sparked talk of an extension, while simultaneously putting him at the centre of any and all trade rumours. At others, he’s felt like he only makes the roster due to injuries or a lack of better options. However, for the last three years he’s quietly put up solid numbers, and was heading towards a terrific 2024 before getting hurt. Rengifo has always been a notoriously late starter, perhaps due in part to irregular playing time, but this season he’s started almost every game, and his numbers have taken a serious plunge.

One possibility is that having a guaranteed spot in the lineup, either at second or third base, has been to his detriment. Maybe he needs the competition, because Moore’s callup seemed to light a fire under him.  

In three games against the Orioles, Rengifo went 5 for 11 with two home runs and a stolen base. It could just be a good weekend, it could be the first signs of the aforementioned late bloom that he’s shown before… but it could also be the fact that with Moore at second, and Yoan Moncada eventual return from injury, Rengifo knows he might not be a lineup lock for much longer.

The future starts here

Lastly, adding Moore to the infield gives the Angels a clearer look at how this team might shape up in the near future. He swapped roster spots with Matthew Lugo, who along with Paris, has shown flashes of what he could be capable of. A middle field line featuring Zach Neto, Moore and either Paris or Lugo holds a tonne of potential; add in Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe and the future of this team is starting to coalesce.

"“It seems like the industry seems to think [this kid] is ready, so I got to think he’s ready, too,” Washington said pregame. “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.”"

Ian Quillen, MLB.com

All of this assumes Moore is here to stay. There’s no guarantee of that, as even that lukewarm quote from his manager isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. But if his bat can adjust to the big leagues the way it has at every other level, and if he can step up quickly the way other recent Angels draftees have done, the ramifications go well beyond what happened over one rainy weekend in Baltimore.     

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