Mitch Moreland

Moreland was on pace to shatter his career high in homers but lost almost two months with a pair of IL stints. The first was in late May for a sore back. After a short stay, Moreland returned for one game before injuring his quad, sending him back to the IL. This visit was longer, just over six weeks. The injuries interrupted Moreland's best season in Boston, as his .347 wOBA and 112 wRC+ were his best since 2015 in Texas. Moreland's platoon splits were even more exaggerated than usual as be slugged 18 of his 19 homers against right-handed pitching. Perhaps a result of the health woes, Moreland's defense, especially range, plummeted. The 34-year-old first baseman can still be a productive bat on the strong side of a platoon, but age is catching up and Moreland can't be counted on for the usual 500 plate appearances garnered by most left-handed platoon bats.

Mitchie Two-Bags nearly replicated his 2017 slash line in 2018, and despite drops in home runs and run production, finished right at the league average offensively. Moreland's .245/.325/.433 line is a lesson in the new reality of offense in baseball, as 2018 saw the first drop in overall power production we have seen in the league since the 2014 season. Fifteen homers became the new 20 in 2018 and Moreland was perfectly average when he was up there doing nearly all of his damage against righties. Moreland remains rather useless against lefties, and Boston left him on the bench against them more often than not. Expect more of the same this season. Moreland has one more year on his deal and the Red Sox seem perfectly fine with his average production near the bottom of their loaded lineup. There is no upside left here, but if you are looking for 15 homers and 120 runs-plus-RBI, this is your guy.

There was a lot of excitement around "Mitchy Twobags" coming to Boston to do the thankless job of replacing David Ortiz in the lineup. Moreland came into town and had a typical Moreland season with a low 20s home-run total, but did enjoy the AL East enough to set a career-high mark in doubles with 34. 2016 saw him be somewhat serviceable against lefties, while 2017 proved that was more of a one-year blip (.684 OPS against southpaws last year). His season ended with knee troubles, but he passed a physical and re-signed on a two-year, $13 million deal with the Red Sox. He will be tasked once again with starting at first base against righties and the occassional lefty, so expect more of the same.

Moreland launched 20-plus homers for the third time in four seasons yet also posted one of his lowest averages on balls in play (.266), which crippled his batting average. He was relegated to the middle or bottom third of the lineup most of year, causing his RBI total to drop as well. Persistently high strikeout rates and low walk percentages make him an annual risk with plate discipline. On the plus side, he hits the ball hard and has a career 15.2 HR/FB, which backs up his ability to leave the yard at a more than acceptable rate. Though he enjoyed his career-best batting average against left-handed pitching last year, it's unlikely that he'll see frequent exposure to southpaws. Moreland should provide cheap power and a good number of RBI again in 2017, but this time with a new supporting cast after he signed with Boston in December.

Moreland rebounded nicely from an injury-shortened 2014 season to post his best season to date, smacking 23 homers and driving in 85 runs while hitting a career-best .278. Moreland's success was even more impressive when considering his pedestrian home numbers (.414 slugging, nine homers) against his solid road production (.555 slugging, 14 homers), though it should be noted that Texas isn't near the hitters' park now then it was as recently as a few years back. Moreland's BABIP of .321 was in line with his career norms aside from a blip in 2013, though he continues to struggle against left-handed pitching (.681 OPS vs LHP, .876 vs RHP). He's already 30 years old, despite being a lineup regular for just five years, so there's not much upside here beyond what we've already seen. He's a good bet for another solid season in the middle of the Texas order.

Moreland played for Texas last year, so you know how this story goes. He tried to play through a bum ankle and was not able to do so and ended up having season-ending surgery in mid-June. Moreland is a 29-year-old who cannot hit lefties, but hits for average and power while facing righties. Despite his splits, he does have power to all fields, so he is not necessarily a product of hitting in Texas. Despite the power potential, he has only once eclipsed 20 homers and has only twice driven in more than 50 runs. Moreland has just two seasons of at least 500 plate appearances. Mixed leaguers can speculate on him for an endgame play, but he does not play or produce enough to achieve more. If the Rangers give him 550 or more plate appearances, it will be a drag on his batting average.

Moreland eclipsed the 20-homer mark for the first time, but his poor .232/.299/.437 line left a lot to be desired. The plate approach shown in a brief trial back in 2010 (25:35 BB:K in 145 at-bats) is a distant memory now, and his second-half collapse (.183/.273/.366 in 191 at-bats) undoubtedly played a role in Texas' acquisition of Prince Fielder to address the lack of production at first base. Already 28 years old, it's unlikely that there's a large step forward for Moreland. He could retain value in some formats just by stepping to the plate 500 times a year in a good hitters' park, but the opportunity to do that is further limited following the trade for Fielder. Moreland has some limited experience in the outfield, though it remains to be seen if that will be a lineup option once spring rolls around.

Moreland provided some pop in the bottom half of the Texas order in 2012, swatting 18 doubles and 15 homers in just 327 at-bats. The plate discipline he showed back in 2010 is a distant memory now, perhaps in an effort to do the most with his limited playing time. He battled for playing time with Michael Young and Mike Napoli for all of 2012, so he has a good chance at a starting job with those veterans elsewhere. There's a 20-homer season, likely on the cheap, waiting for him if he can get 500 at-bats.

Moreland failed to build upon a decent 2010 debut (and a particularly solid 2010 postseason), hitting just .259/.320/.414. His post-break numbers (.241/.300/.367) were poor, though he remained a semi-regular presence in the Texas lineup despite his fade. He underwent surgery in the offseason to alleviate some wrist/hand issues that should have him healthy in plenty of time for the start of exhibition play, but his struggles at the plate have led to rumors that Texas may address the first-base position via free agency over the winter.

Moreland gave Texas a nice late-season boost at first base, posting a solid .255/.364/.469 line in 145 at-bats before cementing himself as the first baseman for 2011 with a solid postseason. He was misused down in the Rangers' lineup when he played, a situation that will likely repeat itself with the top six spots pretty well locked down. He should be entering his power peak having just turned 25 years old, and could post a nice season hitting behind Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler.