2024 MLB Draft Profile: Christian Moore
Draft Profile: Christian Moore (Tennessee)
Height: 6'1
Weight: 210
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Christian Moore, who has been an anchor in the Tennessee lineup for the last two seasons, finds himself with the need to prove that he can cement himself as a top-100 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Moore’s swing mechanics are fundamentally solid. His stride is not overwhelming and does a good job finishing and following through with his swing upon solid contact.
Moore has been able to do a lot of damage (75% hard-hit rate) against sliders during his time at Tennesee, especially against LHP (batting over .500). Against RHP, his numbers are not quite as productive, but he still slugs over .500 against them, with Hard-Hit rates of around 48 percent.
Fastballs are the main pitch that Moore seems to do very well against, hitting over .320 against either LHP/RHP, barreling them against LHP over 40 percent of the time, and hitting balls with exit velocities of over 95 MPH more than 48 percent of the time against either side.
Though his in-zone contact rates are not what I would like to see out of top player, he did even manage to hit over .290 against fastballs ≥ 95 MPH.
Arm-Side movement against LHP is where Moore has made a lot of his living in college baseball.
He has more power to the pull side, but his general spray has a healthy mix throughout the diamond.
This clip is more about his athleticism, but Moore has speed that helps him immensely on the basepaths, whether it be baserunning or stealing bases.
This also helps him defensively, as he has the frame and athletic makeup to cover second base should he stay at the position (I think he should). I do not have doubts over his ability to play the position.
Weaknesses
Moore’s primary weaknesses are broken down into several categories.
First, his splits vehemently favor LHP. He may be victim to some bad luck against RHP based on his quality of contact via xwOBA and damage outputs (he is likely due for some positive regression here) but for now that void of 80–90 points on his batting average needs to be somewhat diminished this upcoming season (and it should based on what the numbers say).
Second, Moore really struggles against curveballs. His whiff rate is around or over 40 percent against either side, and has a batting average of less than .150 against either side, which is concerning.
Third, in smaller sample sizes, when pitchers used sinkers or cutters to have some deception and deviation from their fastball, Moore again really struggled with both those pitches in the limited times he saw them.
Against RHP, fastballs are manageable for him, but everything other than sliders has given him a lot of trouble from that side of the plate. He struggles against changeups from RHP too, and that needs to change in 2024 or in the future.
Lastly, Moore’s chase rates are VERY high against glove-side movement. If he can knock that down a bit, that would be helpful.
Conclusion
Moore’s profile is intriguing due to his athletic profile at second base and his quality of contact profile when he does make contact.
He already has shown a progression in plate discipline with 50 walks in 2023.
I would like to see a more polished progression toward a hit tool in 2024 (not full-on establishing one, but progression), and in turn, Moore would have more of a vote of confidence from me. There is a lot to like with him in terms of athleticism, physical frame, swing mechanics, and so on. The physical tools are there and I can see them.
For now though, at least going into 2024, Moore’s approach needs to continue to show progression against upper echelon college pitching in the SEC (especially against secondary pitches). If it does, he will likely be a top-100 pick.
