Who Am I?
Colin Moran
(Ed. note: Colin Moran looks so much like my brother that I’m calling my parents and just double-checking that there’s nothing they haven’t told us.)
Third baseman
Age: 24
Height: 6′ 4″
Weight: 204
Bats left, throws right
How Did I Get Here?
The Marlins made Moran the 6th overall selection of the draft in 2013. He was then the centerpiece of the package the Astros got for Jared Coast, Austin Hates, and Enrique Hernandez at the 2014 trade deadline; in retrospect, he seems like the LEAST of a package that was also Jake Marisnick, Francis Martes, and a pick that turned into Daz Cameron. There’s already a 90% chance that Astros fans will look back on this as “the Martes deal”.
Contract Status:
Moran has two option years remaining.
Why Am I Here?
At the time of the trade, Moran was viewed as the third baseman of the future. Now he is buried on the depth chart while the Astros hope for his long-forecast power to arrive.
What Are My Strengths?
Moran plays a respectable third base – the whispers that he would need to move across the diamond have mostly vanished. He is also reputed to be a very good contact hitter, but hitting .259 at AAA doesn’t exactly scream “Tony Gwynn.”
What Are My Weaknesses?
That long-forecast power? It still hasn’t arrived. Moran’s peak in the minors was a .459 SLG at AA that included only 9 HR. Last year, he posted a .259/.329/.368 line at AAA. That type of hitting at third base not only doesn’t scream “hot prospect” – it screams “if you do it again this year, JD Davis is taking your job.”
Loves to hit: Nothing evident yet.
Hates to hit: SMALL SAMPLE SIZE ALERT: Moran saw 36 fastballs in the majors, resulting in zero hits.
What is my future with the Astros?
Unless he posts a massive spike in hitting, Moran is trade bait. At best. The chances of him displacing both Bregman and Gurriel are virtually nil. Alas, my dream of his fan club called “Bunch of Morans” will never become a reality.
Best. Fans. In. Baseball.
What is my projected 2017 performance?
| PA | BA | OBP | SLG | H | HR | RBI | SB | CS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 (MLB) | 25 | .130 | .200 | .174 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 (AAA) | 511 | .259 | .329 | .368 | 119 | 10 | 69 | 3 | 2 |
| PECOTA | 250 | .239 | .299 | .368 | 55 | 6 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| ZIPS | 512 | .231 | .285 | .345 | 109 | 10 | 53 | 2 | 2 |
| MMWAG | 45 | .200 | .225 | .250 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Let’s go back to the fact that PECOTA attempts to forecast playing time. If Colin Moran gets 250 plate appearances in 2017, then either:
- something has happened to Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel, AND Tyler White – all of whom are ahead of him on the depth chart; OR
- Moran has had an unforeseen breakout of a season – in which case the forecast is wildly inaccurate.
Who else would I remind you of?
The last ex-Marlin-third-baseman-of-the-future, Matt Dominguez.