Q&A: Kansas City Royals Prospect Mike Moustakas

Mike Moustakas was the second overall pick in the 2007 out of southern California’s Chatsworth High School, where he played on the same team as Marlins prospect Matt Dominguez and set a national prep record for career homeruns. He is currently leading the Texas League in a number of offensive categories, including batting average, homeruns, and runs batted in for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Mike took some time after the Naturals’ come-from-behind win last Friday night to speak with me about his difficult 2008 season, Bull Durham, and the excitement of going home to play in the Futures Game.

Last year, your struggles in the Carolina League were pretty well documented. How important was it to get off to a good start this year?

It was real important, especially because we made it our goal as a team to come out and win the first half and we ended up doing it, so that was big. It was real important to get out and try to get hot real soon and help the team win a little bit and it ended up happening and we’ve played real well because of it.

There was a feeling in the air last season, I think, that, “Oh boy, it’s the Royals, they missed on another pick.” Did you hear and read stuff like that or did you kinda just block it out, block out the negative stuff and go about your business?

I never really read anything written, for the most part, about things like that just because this game’s hard enough to play as it is and you don’t really need things of that nature swimming around in your mind. So I never really got into all the press clippings and stuff, and it’s always been like that, since I was a kid, since I was in high school, so it was real easy to block that out.

I don’t want to keep harping on last year, but I remember one stretch where you had a really rough time, and I know those aren’t fun when you’re going through them, but do you think it’s important to go through those times now so you learn to deal with them?

It’s funny, I think the rough time was when I was 1-for-32 or something, and I feel like that was the best I was hitting the ball – the ball just wasn’t falling. That’s just the way the game’s played. You can be driving the ball and not catching any luck, you can be breaking your bat every at-bat and getting hits. It’s just how the game is.

In this game you’re always gonna struggle, and there’s always slumps, and it’s the guys who can get through the slumps the quickest and find their swing again who become real great players. I think that’s the biggest thing about going through it at a younger age is being able to learn from it and being able to try to battle back from being in a little bit of a slump.

During the offseason, and even last season, what adjustments were you making to help you be more successful?

Just a lot on my physical attributes with regards to being quicker, being a little more explosive with everything. I mean, I really didn’t change much in the way I was playing, just the way I prepared and the way I went about the offseason workout program.

Now obviously this year you’re playing really well. Has Royals management talked with you at all about possibly moving up to Omaha, or even Kansas City?

Not really. All the head guys come down to Northwest Arkansas because we’re pretty close to Kansas City. So they come down and check us out, and it’s always nice, we always talk, but we never really discuss much about moving up or anything like that. But whenever they make their decision I’ll be ready, and whenever that happens it happens.

This may be a dumb question, but what would be more exciting personally – competing for the Triple Crown in the Texas League, like you’re doing right now, or moving up to Omaha?

You know, it is a tough question. I’m actually not thinking at all about the Triple Crown. I’ve just been thinking mostly about trying to win ballgames. We already won the first half and we’re trying to go out and win the second half as well so we can have a little momentum going into the playoffs. So that’s really all I’m focused on right now. Whatever else happens, happens.

On a little different note, I just read that a local restaurant, I think it’s Hugo’s, named a burger after you earlier this season. Have you tried it?

I haven’t been down there yet.

It sounds pretty good. [Greek-seasoned burger, feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, onions]

Yeah, that’s what I heard. I heard a couple people who went down there and they enjoyed it, so that’s nice.

I found an old high school bio online that said your favorite movie was “Bull Durham”. I’m just wondering if after spending a couple years riding the buses and all that, do you still enjoy the movie, or are there certain parts you’re like, “Oh no, I don’t want to see that.”

It’s actually kind of funny because now I can definitely relate to it. I’ve been through it now so it’s a lot easier to relate to it, especially a lot of the funny things in the movie that people don’t really pick up on just because they haven’t lived the life of a minor league baseball player. It makes you enjoy it a little more if anything.

What can you accomplish for the rest of this season that’ll make you look back in October when the season’s over and say, “Yeah, I had a really good year, I’m happy with the way things turned out.”

A championship, no doubt. That’s the only thing that’ll make this season a success, is if we end up bringing a championship back here to Northwest Arkansas. That’s about it.

You were selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game next weekend in Anaheim. You’re from that area, and you haven’t been able to go home very often as a professional, so are you excited when you get to play that close to where you grew up?

It’s amazing. Everyone loves going home and having their family and their friends and everybody that’s been around you your whole life come out and play baseball. A lot of my friends haven’t seen me play in a couple years, so it’s gonna be nice to see them in the stands and be able to hang out with them during the season, and just be able to have fun and see my family, it’s gonna be a real fun experience. I’m really excited for it.

How long will you be away from the team?

I think three days, but I’m not quite sure. I haven’t really gotten all the details yet, but I think it’s three days. [Moustakas was placed on the temporarily inactive list earlier today, which means he'll miss at least four games, five if he doesn't get to Corpus Christi by Monday night.]

Last season you went out to play in the California-Carolina League All-Star Game that was in Lake Elsinore. Is there anything different about this year? Is it exciting, is it different because you’re playing well this year? Is there anything different between this year’s experience with it and last year’s experience?

Oh, it’s definitely gonna be a different experience. Playing in a major league stadium, playing in the Futures game, against all that talent that’s gonna be on that field, and during the All-Star break for the big leagues. I mean, it’s gonna be amazing, it’s gonna be fun, it’s gonna be a lot of fun being able to participate in that and just being on that diamond with those caliber players, it’s gonna be exciting.

So when you get picked to play in something like the Futures Game is that what you’re hoping to get out of it, kind of getting the experience of it and meeting some of the other players, thing like that?

Oh, absolutely. I’ve met a bunch of the other guys that are already going and it’s gonna be a lot of fun, the experience is definitely worth it. I’ve never gotten to experience a Futures Game so I’m pretty excited I got picked, and I’m pretty excited I get to go out there that I get to go out there and play and represent the Kansas City Royals and represent everything that the organization’s about, it’s gonna be a lot of fun. I’m sure my buddy Eric Hosmer’s doing the same thing, he’s gonna have a lot of fun, so it’s gonna be nice.