Mitch Moreland
Mitch Moreland | |
---|---|
First baseman | |
Born: Amory, Mississippi, U.S. | September 6, 1985|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
July 29, 2010, for the Texas Rangers | |
Last MLB appearance | |
August 26, 2021, for the Oakland Athletics | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .251 |
Home runs | 186 |
Runs batted in | 618 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Mitchell Austin Moreland (born September 6, 1985), nicknamed "2-Bags",[1] is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics. Moreland attended Mississippi State University and was drafted by the Rangers as a first baseman and outfielder in the 17th round of the 2007 MLB draft. Listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 230 pounds (100 kg), Moreland both batted and threw left-handed.
Amateur career
Born and raised in
Professional career
Minor leagues
The
The following season, Moreland joined the Class-A
Moreland played in two different levels of the Rangers' organization in 2009. He started the season with the Class-A Advanced
The Rangers invited Moreland to
Texas Rangers
2010
On July 29, 2010, Moreland was called up by the Rangers to take the roster spot of
On October 30, Moreland hit a second inning, three-run home run off of Jonathan Sánchez to put the Rangers ahead 3–0 in Game 3 of the World Series. He was the first Rangers player in the Series to hit a home run. The Rangers eventually lost to the San Francisco Giants in five games.
2011
On June 21, 2011, Moreland hit his first career
2012
On June 9, 2012, Moreland became only the second
2013
Moreland batted a career-low .232 during the 2013 season, with 23 home runs and 60 RBIs in 147 games played.
2014
On May 6, 2014, Moreland pitched an inning against the Colorado Rockies in a 12–1 Rangers loss; he retired the side in order.[18] Moreland did not play after June 7,[19] due to an ankle injury that required surgery.[20] In 52 games played, he had two home runs, 23 RBIs, and a .246 average.
2015
The 2015 season was a career year for Moreland. In 132 games played, he was second on the Rangers behind Prince Fielder with a .278 batting average and 85 RBIs; he was tied with Fielder for the team lead with 23 home runs.[citation needed]
2016
In 2016, Moreland batted .233, had 22 home runs and 60 RBIs in 147 games played. He also won his first Gold Glove Award.[21]
Overall, in seven seasons with the Rangers, Moreland batted .254 with 110 home runs and 354 RBIs in 773 games played.
Boston Red Sox
On December 8, 2016, Moreland signed a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox.[22]
2017
On August 25, 2017, Moreland made the second pitching appearance of his career, tossing an inning against the Baltimore Orioles in a 16–3 Red Sox loss; he allowed two hits but no runs, striking out one batter, catcher Caleb Joseph.[23] During the regular season, Moreland played in 149 games, primarily as Boston's first baseman, batting .246 with 22 home runs and 79 RBIs.
In the postseason, Moreland played in all four games of the ALDS, batting 5-for-13 (.385) as the Red Sox lost to the eventual 2017 World Series champions, the Houston Astros. On December 18, 2017, Moreland signed a two-year contract with the Red Sox.[24]
2018
Early in the 2018 season, Moreland split time with
In the postseason, Moreland appeared in 11 games, batting 5-for-17 (.294)[26] In Game Four of the World Series, on October 27, 2018, Moreland hit a three-run home run off of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Ryan Madson, which was viewed as a turning point in the series as it put the Red Sox within one run after trailing 0-4, sparking a rally where they eventually won 9–6. The Red Sox went on to win Game Five 5–1 to capture their 9th championship in franchise history, giving Moreland his first World Series ring.
2019
Moreland began the 2019 season as Boston's primary first baseman. On March 29, he hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning off of
2020
Moreland and the Red Sox reached agreement on a one-year contract announced on January 28, 2020.[32] With the 2020 Red Sox from the delayed start of the season through late August, he appeared in 22 games, batting .328 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs.
San Diego Padres
He was traded to the San Diego Padres on August 30, 2020, in exchange for minor leaguers Jeisson Rosario and Hudson Potts.[33] With the Padres in 2020, Moreland played in 20 games and hit .203 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs.
Oakland Athletics
On February 23, 2021, Moreland signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Oakland Athletics.[34] He appeared in 81 games, primarily at designated hitter. He hit 10 home runs with a .229 batting average and a .701 OPS.
Retirement
Moreland did not play during the 2022 season. On March 7, 2023, Moreland announced his retirement.[35]
Personal life
Moreland married Susannah Higgins on November 13, 2011.[36] As of March 2019[update], the couple have three children: two sons and a daughter.[37] They reside in Helena, Alabama, and also own a farm in Mississippi.[38]
References
- ^ "Mitch Moreland Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "Mitch Moreland - 2007 Baseball Roster - Mississippi State Athletics". Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "2006 Bourne Braves". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ "2007 Bourne Braves". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ "Moreland, Gac Named Post-Season All-Stars". OurSports Central. oursportscentral.com. August 26, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ Jacobs, Marcus (August 27, 2008). "LumberKings top Chiefs in home finale". The Clinton Herald. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ Olson, Rush (October 29, 2009). "Moreland keeps it simple by hitting". Texas Rangers. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ T. R. Sullivan (January 7, 2009). "Rangers announce Minors award winners". Major League Baseball. mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ Cole, Jason (September 24, 2009). "2009 Minor League Players of the Year". Scout.com. mississippistate.scout.com. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ T. R. Sullivan (January 15, 2010). "Rangers working to avoid arbitration". Major League Baseball. mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ "Mitch Moreland Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights | Oklahoma City RedHawks Stats". Minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ "Texas Rangers 7, Oakland Athletics 4". Retrosheet. July 29, 2010.
- ^ "Texas Rangers 10, Boston Red Sox 9". Retrosheet. August 13, 2010.
- ^ "Texas Rangers 16, Oakland Athletics 9". Retrosheet. September 26, 2010.
- ^ "AT&T Park Information – Splash Hits". Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "Rangers' Mitch Moreland joins select club with pinch-hit home run | Dallas Morning News". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ "Colorado Rockies 12, Texas Rangers 1". Retrosheet. May 6, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ "The 2014 TEX A Regular Season Batting Log for Mitch Moreland". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ Durrett, Richard (June 8, 2014). "Mitch Moreland likely out 3 months". ESPN. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ "Rangers infielders Adrian Beltre, Mitch Moreland win Gold Gloves". star-telegram. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- ^ Browne, Ian (December 8, 2016). "Moreland signs 1-year deal with Red Sox". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles 16, Boston Red Sox 3". Retrosheet. August 25, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ Lauber, Scott (December 18, 2017). "Red Sox re-sign Mitch Moreland to 2-year deal, out of Eris Hosmer sweepstakes". ESPN. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (July 8, 2018). "These are your 2018 All-Stars". MLB.com. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "Boston Red Sox win 2018 World Series". MLB. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ "Red Sox vs. Mariners - Play-By-Play". ESPN. March 29, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. May 2019. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. June 2019. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- ^ "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. July 2019. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. October 2019. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ Camerato, Jessica (January 28, 2020). "Moreland returns to Red Sox on 1-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ Simon, Andrew (August 30, 2020). "Sox get 2 prospects for Moreland from SD". MLB.com. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Press release: Mitch Moreland deal with A's". MLB.com.
- ^ Bradford, Rob (March 7, 2023). "Mitch Moreland is making it official: He has retired". www.audacy.com. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ Moreland, Susannah. "Our Story". blogspot.com. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ Smith, Christopher (March 1, 2019). "Mitch Moreland, followed Boston Red Sox World Series with bowhunting-Cheetos family fun, now styling 'Andrew Benintendi' hair as free agency year begins". masslive.com. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ "Sox's Mitch Moreland enjoys cooking, training dog, hunting". May 12, 2017.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Minor League Baseball