Matt Moore
From BR Bullpen
Matthew Cody Moore
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 2", Weight 205 lb.
- High School Moriarty High School
- Debut September 14, 2011
- Born June 18, 1989 in Fort Walton Beach, FL USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Pitcher Matt Moore reached the majors with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011.
Moore was drafted out of high school by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 8th round of the 2007 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Jack Powell and spent his first two professional seasons with the Princeton Devil Rays/Princeton Rays in the Appalachian League, going 0-0, 2.66 in 2007 and 2-2, 1.66 in 12 starts in 2008, making the circuit's All-Star team. He moved to the Class-A Bowling Green Hot Rods in 2009, where he was 8-5, 3.15 in 26 starts. He struck out 176 batters and emerged as a top prospect, being named #35 on Baseball America's top 100 prospect list after the season.
Pitching for the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Florida State League in 2010, Moore's 6-11 record in 26 starts was superficially unimpressive, but he had a very good 3.36 ERA and struck out an outstanding 208 batters in 144 2/3 innings, a Rays organization record at the time. He was named the circuit's Pitcher of the Week on four different occasions and made the league's All-Star team at the end of the year. His prospect ranking prior to the 2011 season had improved to #15. He started the season with Montgomery Biscuits of the AA Southern League, where he was outstanding over the first half. He went 8-3 in 18 starts, with a 2.20 ERA and 131 Ks in 102 1/3 innings, while allowing only 68 hits. He threw a no-hitter against the Mobile Bay Bears on June 16th, then pitched for the U.S. team in the 2011 Futures Game, then was promoted to AAA Durham. He continued just where he had left off, making 9 starts with a 4-0 record and a 1.37 ERA while again striking out well over a batter per inning. He was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Year and got the call to Tampa Bay in September, by which time he had climbed to #3 on Baseball America's prospect list. Overall he ranked second overall in the minor leagues in ERA (1.92), strikeouts (210) and opponents' batting average (.182) and was tops in strikeouts/9 innings at 12.2. He was a mid-season All-Star in the Southern League, and a post-season All-Star in the International League. He made his major league debut in relief on September 14th, and won his only start of the year with 5 scoreless innings in a key game against the New York Yankees on September 22nd, finishing the year 1-0, 2.89 in 3 appearances. With the Rays' starters dead tired after beating the Boston Red Sox for the American League wild card, Moore was the surprise choice to start Game 1 of the ALDS against the Texas Rangers on September 30th. Belying his age and lack of experience, Moore pitched a superb game, holding the Rangers scoreless for 7 innings as the Rays won handily, 9-0. His other appearance, in Game 4, was also quite good, although he gave up a solo home run to Adrian Beltre in 3 innings of relief - the only hit he gave up. The Rays lost the game, 4-3, and the series that day. After the season, the Rays wasted no time in placing their young pitcher in the fold for the long-term, signing him to an 8-year deal that could be worth almost $40 million if he remains in the big leagues for the entire time span.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 2011 Pitcher of the Year Southern League Montgomery Biscuits
