On Sunday, Stanford sophomore catcher Malcolm Moore was selected by the Texas Rangers as the 30th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. The slot value for the 30th overall pick in this year’s draft is $2,971,300, putting it at just a shade under $3M. In case you are trying to do the math, there are 30 teams in Major League Baseball, making Moore a 1st round selection.
In his two years at Stanford, Moore brought a lot of power behind the plate at the catcher position. In 118 games played, he had a .288 batting average for 31 home runs and 99 RBIs to go along with a .399 on base percentage and a .560 slugging percentage. He saw his batting average dip from .311 as a freshman to .255 as a sophomore, but he saw his on base percentage increase from .386 as a freshman to .414 as a sophomore. With less around him this past season, he didn’t get as many good pitches as he did as a freshman and yet he saw an increase in his home run total from 15 as a freshman to 16 as a sophomore.
The biggest question mark for Moore is whether or not he’ll be able to play catcher at the next level or if he’ll have to end up playing at either 1st base or designated hitter. He had a .993 fielding percentage for his career, but had eight errors. Had he been viewed as a more reliable catcher prospect, he would have likely gone much higher in the draft. How much he’s able to prove himself defensively will be something to watch for.
Regardless of what position he ends up playing, what is for certain is that Moore can hit and hit with power. He’s got a fantastic bat and isn’t afraid to step up to the plate with the game on the line. He lives for the big moment and loves to have the spotlight on him.
Moore’s top performance of this past season came at home against a ranked Oregon team in which he had three home runs for four RBIs in a 19-7 victory. In that game, he was really in the zone. Oregon didn’t have an answer for him in that game as his offensive prowess was on full display.
“This is as good as it gets,” Moore said with a smile. “This is why I came to play here. I mean this is as good as it gets. These guys are my best friends and this is so much fun…It’s amazing. It’s amazing. It’s the best. This is, like I said, why I came here. It’s awesome.”
“Yeah, pretty special,” Stanford head coach David Esquer said of Moore hitting three home runs in a game. “And he’s a special player. It’s taken him a little while to get going, but that’s, just gotta be patient. He’s our guy and we just gotta let it happen and tonight it started again.”
Overall, Malcolm Moore is an exciting talent and a nice pickup for the Texas Rangers. Especially at the end of the 1st round. He’s got mid 1st round talent, so to pick him up when they did has the potential to be a steal. It’ll be fun to see how he does in the Rangers’ minor league system and whether or not he’ll end up getting that big league call up in the coming seasons.
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