Royals Brandon Moss: A cheap source of power
By Bill Pivetz
The Royals are within reach of the second AL Wild Card spot. Brandon Moss has been a key piece to their offense. You should add him, too.
The Kansas City Royals haven’t had the same success in years past. The team is still competing for one last year before all of the top talents leave for free agency. In their recent run, Brandon Moss has been a big offensive contributor. He is worth an add in the final days of the 2017 season.
Moss isn’t known to be a great contact hitter, career 237 average, but he has provided some power over his last few seasons. This season has been a tale of two halves for Moss.
In the first half of this season, Moss was hitting .193/.265/.392 with 10 home runs and 16 RBIs. He also had a 68:18 K:BB ratio. For a career 3:1 K:BB ratio, you don’t expect more than the power.
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In the second half, however, Moss has been a better contact hitter while still providing power. He has a .230/.310/.513 line with 12 home runs, 33 RBIs and 17 runs in his last 50 games. Moss also cut down on his strikeouts, posting a 48:18 K:BB ratio.
Moss has hit well this month, 5 HR/15 RBIs/.260 AVG. He certainly isn’t walking much, only one compared to nine strikeouts, but he is hitting the ball better in the second half. His groundball rate has dropped while his line drive and fly ball rates have gone up.
Moss owners also have the benefit of moving him around their lineups. He is eligible at first base, outfield and DH. I like the add as many multi-position players as possible. For example, I have Manny Machado and Kyle Seager on my team. Machado is my shortstop but both rank in the top five among third basemen.
I know that Moss isn’t anywhere near the level of player those two are but the details don’t matter, the concept does. Slotting Moss in different spots will help you start the best team possible. With players getting extra days rest, you’ll need to mix and match a lot more.
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Moss has been added in 5.5 percent of ESPN leagues over the last week but is still available in 93.0 percent of leagues. The Royals play their next seven games on the road (Toronto, Chicago and Yankees) before finishing their season at home. Those are some good places to hit.