Moras Puts the Pieces Together

Michael Moras, the Mets’ 20th round draft pick last June, was the second catcher selected in this year’s class. He was assigned to Kingsport where he saw his playing time pick up as the summer went on, demonstrating a strong grasp of hitting at the next level while solidifying his play behind the plate.

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“I thought it was a pretty good first season. I think I did a good job of adapting and adjusting to professional baseball. The management and the coaching staff was great, I learned a ton, and it was just a very good overall experience,” said catcher Michael Moras when reflecting on his rookie season.

The soon-to-be 23-year-old backstop has a number of reasons to feel good about his first trip through professional ball. Moras, listed at 6-foot-1, was selected out of University of New Haven and sent to Kingsport where he originally shared time with Dock Doyle.

But with more time on the diamond, he was able to show off his mature skills at the plate and ultimately tallied a .338 average in 20 games played. From day one, Moras knew that to find success adjustments had to be made. As he settled into the next level, he specifically focused the speed of the game.

“I think just going from college to pro ball, the big thing is slowing the game down. I did a lot of work in the batting cage with the hitting coach to refine my timing, make things smooth so that I wouldn’t jump at the ball in the game. With the guys throwing harder, I wanted things to be nice and slow and get my foot down early,” he explained.

The work paid off. Moras hit .391 in seven July games and .382 in ten games in August when he began playing nearly every day. Like many rookies, he attributed his production to recent history.

“My college coach always preached being slow and on time with the ball and that’s something I took with me to pro ball. The slower and smoother you are, the better chance you have of being on time with the ball. Bringing that from college I think helped me out a lot. I can’t try to do too much either. I have to stay within myself,” he detailed.

There were also adjustments to be had on the defensive side of the ball. Like many first-year catchers, Moras guarded against his attention to defense limiting his offense. He acknowledged that a steady mindset and close work with manager Pedro Lopez played the biggest part in growing on both sides of the ball.

“I definitely learned a lot behind the plate this year,” he said. “My manager was a catcher up to the Triple-A level; he brought a lot to the table and taught me a lot. Seeing the roving instructor three times did a lot to help me know how to better block balls, receive and handle pitchers that throw better stuff.”

”I don’t think [keeping things separate] is a problem for me. I think I just try not to bring the results of an at-bat behind the plate. I can’t take anything from an at-bat behind the plate because my job behind the plate is to play good defense and be ready on every pitch and call a good game,” he continued.

Now Moras prepares to attend the fall Instructional League with some ideas in mind of what he will work on and hope achieve as he looks to 2009.

“I’d like to get a chance to play a little bit more, take a lot more in and be ready to learn a lot from all the coaches and instructors throughout the organization that will be down there,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting down there and improving my game. As for the off-season, I’m going to be doing a lot strength and conditioning to build up for next season.”