1st-round pick Moore among Rangers' Draft signings
Kennedi Landry
@kennlandryARLINGTON -- Malcolm Moore grew up in Northern California. He watched Bruce Bochy¡¯s Giants teams win three World Series in the 2010s, and looked up to legendary catcher Buster Posey
On Wednesday afternoon, Moore -- the Rangers¡¯ first-round pick out of Stanford University -- took batting practice at Globe Life Field and got the opportunity to chat with Bochy as he celebrated signing his official contract with the Rangers.
¡°I've always watched him and seen what he's done with the Giants in those even years back then,¡± Moore said. ¡°Just meeting him in person was really a surreal moment. I mean, he's a great human being and honored to get to work with him. ¡ It was awesome to pick his brain about different players that were on the Giants during those runs and kind of just see how he operates as a person. It was awesome.¡±
On Wednesday, the Rangers officially announced the signing of Moore, as well as an additional 15 of their 20 MLB Draft picks. Notable picks include outfielder Dylan Dreiling of the University of Tennessee (2nd round) and outfielder Casey Cook of the University of North Carolina (3rd round).
Moore is just the fourth first-round catcher ever selected by the Rangers, joining Kellin Deglan (22nd overall, 2010), Scott Heard (25th, 2000), and Bill Haselman (23rd, 1987). Haselman is the only one to have made it to the big leagues.
He is also the third player from Stanford University to be selected in the first round by Texas: OF John Mayberry (2005) and Rick Helling (1992).
¡°We had an extensive history with Malcolm, back to his high school days,¡± said Rangers director of amateur scouting Kip Fagg. ¡°He was a two-time California Player of the Year back then, so we knew the talent was there. Just getting around him and putting the pieces together, the work we did on the ground as far as finding out the makeup and what he's about, a lot of things aligned and made it a pretty easy decision when we got there [on Draft night].¡±
Moore¡¯s bat is what has carried him to become the No. 26 Draft prospect, per MLB Pipeline. After being considered a potential Day 1 pick out of high school in 2022, Moore went undrafted thanks to his strong commitment to Stanford. Now, following his sophomore year for the Cardinal, Moore was one of the top left-handed college hitters in the country, combining the ability to drive the ball to all fields with plus raw power.
He posted a lifetime .288/.399./.560 slash line with 31 home runs, 28 doubles and 99 RBIs across 118 games in his collegiate career, earning Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention honors in both years.
He struggled early in his sophomore season, hitting just .207 with nine extra-base hits through March and putting his first-round potential in doubt. A strong recovery put him right back where he left off in 2023.
He finished the season hitting .255 with eight doubles, 16 home runs and 36 RBIs, reaching base in all but five of his games played on the season, including each of the final 14 contests.
¡°We didn't know what was going to be available at the back of the Draft. It was a little bit different than the last few years,¡± said general manager Chris Young. ¡°But Malcolm was at the top of the list in terms of the players that we had identified that fit what we're looking for in Texas Rangers, not just from a talent standpoint, but most importantly from a personal standpoint, the personal characteristics that he displays, especially in a position that's so essential to have leadership qualities.¡±
¡°The Texas Rangers aren¡¯t for everybody,¡± Fagg added. ¡°We want the right people, and Malcolm fits that mold for sure.¡±
Moore almost definitely won¡¯t be to the big leagues as quickly as 2023 first-rounder Wyatt Langford, who is now the Rangers¡¯ starting left fielder. He likely won¡¯t even follow in the footsteps of third baseman and 2019 first-rounder Josh Jung, who probably would have debuted two years earlier if not for a string of injuries in 2021-22.
All he knows is that he¡¯s ready to get to Arizona and start his professional career.
¡°I'm super thankful that there's guys like that like [Langford] because it shows how good the competition is in college,¡± Moore said. ¡°For a guy to move up that fast it shows that it's not that hard to adapt. I do not necessarily need to do it that fast, but kind of just showing that it's possible. It's awesome. ¡ I'm just looking forward to letting things happen. There's no real timeline. Obviously I'm gonna work my hardest to get here as soon as possible, but that's not the No. 1 thing right now.¡±