Some guys just know how to rise to the occasion, to live in the moment, to take life by the balls and make things happen.
Last year, on September 1, Chris Carter was honored as the Texas League’s Most Valuable Player. The powerful outfielder had torn up the league for Midland to the tune of 24 homeruns, 101 RBI, and a .337 batting average. By the time he won the award, he had been promoted to Triple-A Sacramento, and he celebrated in style for the River Cats: three homeruns and seven RBI in a 17-6 win over Reno.
Mike Moustakas, formerly of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, took home the 2010 Texas League MVP award, hitting .347 with 21 homeruns and 66 RBI in just under half a season in Springdale. Like Carter, he found out he had won the award while a member of his organization’s Triple-A team – in this case, the Omaha Royals. And, like Carter, he immediately went out and showed everyone how awesome he was.
Moustakas savaged the Round Rock Express on Monday night, homering three times and driving in eleven runs in a 23-5 win.
It started innocently enough, with fly out to left to end the first. In the third (heretofore known as “Omaha’s 11-Run Third Inning”), after Irving Falu led off with a walk, Moustakas hit his eleventh Triple-A homer to right center. Fast forward through the rest of the lineup – double, single, homerun, double, single, single, sacrifice fly, and single, and we arrive back at Moustakas, who promptly hit a three-run homerun to center.
In the fourth, a double, single, and walk loaded the bases for Moose, and we know how this ends: double, three RBI, eight total.
Another fly out in the fifth, and then the seventh: strikeout, single, single, GONE BABY GONE. I believe they call that, “The icing on the cake.”
In 45 games at the Triple-A level, Moustakas is now hitting .297 with 13 homeruns and 43 runs batted in. His combined totals for the season are starting to venture toward the Silly Zone:
.326 batting average, 34 homeruns, 119 RBI, 90 runs, 64 strikeouts, 33 walks, 148 hits, 289 total bases, .374/.637/1.010
I mean, what do you say about that? That he should walk more? Okay. He should walk more. Duly noted. Maybe he should play in less hitter-friendly environments. Other than that, I’ve got nothing. He’s a beast.
Just hope his major league career, when it starts, gets going better than Carter’s.
