Christian Moore hits first professional home run, promoted after two games in Single A
It took exactly two games in Minor League Baseball for Christian Moore to hit his first home run in professional baseball and, at the same time, earn a promotion.
Moore, the No. 8 overall pick in the MLB Draft of the Los Angeles Angels last month, homered for the Inland Empire 66ers, the club’s Low-A affiliate in the California League.
It was reported after the game that Moore had been promoted to Double-A and the Rocket City Trash Pandas. In two games in Single A, Moore went 6-for-11 with six RBI and five runs scored. His six hits included two doubles and the home run.
Christian Moore FIRST PRO HR pic.twitter.com/Saemdb1UyX
— AngelsMiLB (@AngelsMiLB) August 2, 2024
Moore in June led Tennessee Baseball to its first national championship after setting single-season program records with 34 home runs, 55 extra-base hits and 236 total bases as a junior. He hit .375 with a 1.248 OPS and a .797 slugging percentage. He had 74 RBI, 19 doubles and a team-high 83 runs scored.
Christian Moore ‘fits the mold’ of recent pro-ready Angels draft picks
ESPN’s David Schoenfield after the MLB Draft predicted that Moore could be one of the first draftees to reach Major League Baseball, considering the Angels’ history of drafting the most MLB-ready players and advancing them quickly through the minors.
“The Angels love to take college players who appear close to the majors and Moore fits that mold,” Schoenfield wrote while analyzing the pick for ESPN.com, “becoming their sixth straight college selection in the first round. The last two of those — Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel — are already in the majors, so if Moore follows their path, he could be one of the first players from this draft to reach MLB.
“He’s limited to second base because of his arm, but his contact rate should allow him to move quickly through the minors.”
Moore signed his first professional contract for $4,997,500. He was the highest draft pick for a Tennessee player since Nick Senzel went No. 2 overall in 2016.
Eight Tennessee players selected in 2024 MLB Draft
Eight Tennessee players in total were selected in the MLB Draft. Blake Burke went at No. 34 overall in the first round to the Milwaukee Brewers, ahead of Billy Amick (Minnesota Twins) and Dylan Dreiling (Texas Rangers) in the second round, Drew Beam (Kansas City Royals) in the third round and Kavares Tears (San Diego Padres) in the fourth round. AJ Causey (Kansas City Royals) was selected in the fifth round and Aaron Combs (Chicago White Sox) went in the eighth round.
Moore finished his three-year Tennessee career with 61 home runs, 160 RBI, a .338 batting average, a .697 slugging percentage and a .447 on-base percentage. His 34 home runs came in 72 games during his junior season. He hit 17 in 63 games as a sophomore in 2023 and hit 10 in 51 games as a freshman in 2022.
“Moore showed off his well-rounded game by becoming the second player in MCWS history to hit for the cycle during Tennessee’s first game in Omaha,” ESPN continued, “and hit .375 with 34 home runs on the season — doubling his home run total from the previous year.”
