Ritchie Moody

Ritchie Lee Moody

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• School Oklahoma State University
• High School Brookville High School
• Born February 22, 1971 in Dayton, OH USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Reliever Ritchie Moody pitched in the Texas Rangers system from 1992 to 1997. Though he spent one full year at Triple-A, 1994, he never ascended to the majors.

He was drafted twice. Initially, he was taken by the New York Mets in the 11th round of the 1989 amateur draft, one pick ahead of infielder Dan Masteller and in the same round as future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman, but he opted not to sign. He was then taken by the Rangers in the 2nd round of the 1992 amateur draft, one pick ahead of infielder Trey Beamon and in the same round as Todd Helton and Jason Giambi, and he did sign. The signing scout was Sandy Johnson.

In his first year, he tossed 32 2/3 innings and surrendered just 12 hits between the Gastonia Rangers and Tulsa Drillers, while saving 12 games and striking out 35 batters. In 1993, he was 3-2 with 16 saves and a 2.15 ERA in 47 games for Tulsa. He reached Triple-A for the first and only time in 1994, going 0-5 with a 6.00 ERA in 8 starts for the Oklahoma City 89ers after shifting to the rotation. He spent three more years in the minors, posting respective ERAs of 5.66, 3.43 and 5.88.

In 1993, Baseball America ranked him the #7 prospect in the Rangers chain, between Rick Helling and David Hulse. He was the only player from that year's top ten to not make the big leagues. In 1994, he was ranked #3 in the Rangers chain, between Helling and Terrell Lowery. In 1995, he was ranked #10, just after Jerry Martin.

Overall, he went 6-16 with a 3.91 ERA in 148 games (12 starts). In 265 innings, he allowed 235 hits and 178 walks, (1.558 WHIP), while striking out 219 batters.