Source: kron4.com --- Saturday, February 24, 2018
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Colin Moran was considered one of the best players in college Baseball in 2013 while starring at North Carolina. “We loved him going into the draft that year,” Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “He was a player we had a lot of interest in.” The Pirates finally got their man Jan. 13 when they acquired Moran and three other players from the Houston Astros in a trade for right-hander Gerrit Cole. Moran is penciled in as the starting third baseman, with veteran David Freese moving into a backup role. The Pirates never got the chance to draft Moran four years ago. They had the ninth and 14th picks in the first round but the Miami Marlins chose him at No. 6. Moran has yet to make the impact that many scouts expected. The Marlins traded him to the Astros in 2014 and he played in just 16 major league games with Houston, hitting a combined .206 with one home run in 2016 and 2017. The Pirates, though, believe they are acquiring Moran at the right time after he batted .308 with 18 home runs in 79 games with Triple-A Fresno last season. A year earlier, Moran had just a .259 average and 10 homers for the Grizzlies in 117 games. The Pacific Coast League has the reputation of inflating hitters’ statistics. However, Huntington believes Moran’s improvement at Fresno was not a product of the environment. “He struggled at Fresno the previous year and it was the same league,” Huntington said. “Our scouts bel ...
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