PROSPECT PROFILE: Javon Moran

[reds44]

Originally Posted by BigREDSfaninKY

If and when Denorfia gets called up to the big club, is Moran the likely candidate to replace him in Louisville?

I don't know if they will put him in 3 levels in one year. He started the year in High A ball, so IMO they will let him finish out in AA.

[dougdirt]

I think Moran was only in A+ this year to start becuase he was injured last year and he needed a tune up. if you recall, he played some time in Chattanooga last year. I dont see why Javon should not see AAA if Denorfia gets a call up for good.

[reds44]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

I think Moran was only in A+ this year to start becuase he was injured last year and he needed a tune up. if you recall, he played some time in Chattanooga last year. I dont see why Javon should not see AAA if Denorfia gets a call up for good.

Yep you are correct. I should have looked over his career stats once again.


He hit over .300 in 80 ABs last year in AA. It was only 80 ABs so it probably came at the end of the year, but yes you are correct this isn't the first time he has played in AA.

I could see him getting the call if Deno is either traded or called up to MLB.

Also, I found out why Moran had such a good OBP in 2004 for Lakewood.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...0809lidle.html

Moran, 21, was a fifth-round pick in 2003 out of Auburn, and has played mostly center field for Class A Lakewood. The righthanded hitter was batting .284/.340/.386 with two home runs and 37 RBIs for the Blue Claws with 41 stolen bases, but he also had been caught 16 times and had just 24 walks. His on-base percentage had been bolstered by 12 HBPs. Moran's best tool is his speed, which rates close to 80 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale and helps him have excellent range in center field. Moran has struggled of late, going just 3-for-24 to drop his average to its lowest point since mid-May.

Also wow he scores close to an 80 on a scale with 80 as the highest for speed. When he makes it to Cincy, it will be nice to have that kind of range in CF.

[Steve4192]

Javon could definitely be a useful spare part on a team that knows how to use him. With his ability to make contact, create havoc on the bases, and cover oodles of ground in the OF, he is the perfect reserve OF.

Unfortunately, he is also the kind of guy who can suck the life out of an offense if he is given a full-time job. Very few MLB managers could resist the temptation to bat a guy with Javon's wheels in the leadoff spot, no matter how many outs he gives away with his 'hack away' philosophy at the plate.

I think his best value to the Reds is as trade bait to a team that values guys of his ilk. The Angels would probably love to get their hands on him.

[reds44]

Man Javon is white hot. With a 3-4 game tonight he extended his hit streak to 10 games. He is now hitting .347 on the year.

[dougdirt]

Is that .347 in AA or .347 overall?

[reds44]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Is that .347 in AA or .347 overall?

AA

It is higher then that overall.

[reds44]

Moran's hitting streak came to an end at 10 tonight.

[OnBaseMachine]

Moran finds his sport in baseball
By David Paschall Staff Writer

Growing up in Valdosta, Ga., a town long known for its football passion, Javon Moran decided that baseball better suited his talents.

Cincinnati Reds officials and Chattanooga Lookouts supporters would agree he made the right choice.

After Tuesday night’s series opening win at West Tenn, Moran was hitting.333 with six doubles, seven RBIs and nine stolen bases. The 23-year-old right fielder also entered last night as Chattanooga’s only position player yet to commit an error.

"I did grow up in football territory, but I only played football one year, and that was when I was like 11 or 12," Moran said. "I played quarterback and running back that year, but after it was over, I just wanted to play baseball. Everybody else was playing football, but I just tried to stay out of all that. I was too small anyway."

After graduating from Lowndes High School, Moran played three seasons at Auburn University before the Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the fifth round of the 2003 draft. He spent just 14 months in that organization, coming to the Reds in August 2004 with pitchers Joe Wilson and Elizardo Ramirez in exchange for big-league pitcher Cory Lidle.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Moran made his Chattanooga debut last July and hit.301 in 23 games before a wrist injury sidelined him for the last two weeks of the season. The same injury kept him in extended spring down in Sarasota, and he didn’t rejoin the Lookouts until May 24. Because Moran has only played in 38 Double-A games this season after Tuesday, he does not show up among Southern League statistical leaders. Otherwise, his average would top the charts.

"I think he’s done a good job as a leadoff guy, working the count and putting the ball in play, and he’s putting himself back on the radar screen after his wrist injury," Lookouts manager Jayhawk Owens said. "He’s got a very simple hitting approach. He doesn’t hit it on the end of the bat, and he doesn’t get jammed a lot. He hits it on the sweet spot.

"Obviously he has speed. He’s hit quite a few high choppers this season, and any time there is a ground ball, he puts pressure on the defense."

Owens and hitting coach Jamie Dismuke said center fielder Chris Dickerson is the fastest player on this year’s team. Moran doesn’t agree. "It’s me, of course," he said smiling. "There have been reports that Dickerson is faster than me, but he doesn’t want to step up to the challenge. We haven’t been able to lay it out. The coaches won’t let us during the season."

Speed has become secondary to consistency for Moran, who has hit over.300 at every stop since coming to the Reds. He hit.383 with Single-A Dayton in the final 25 games of the 2004 season following his trade and hit.329 in 53 games at high Single-A Sarasota last year before arriving in Chattanooga.

Moran said his average so far this season surpasses last year’s clip primarily because of patience. "With the wrist injury, I can’t swing at everything like I did last year," he said. "I have to be more patient and look for my pitch. When I get it, I can’t miss it."

Should Moran further enhance his game, which includes a sharpening of bunting and base-running skills, he could find himself among tall trees in Cincinnati’s outfield. Two former Lookouts, Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns, occupy starting spots now because of the power numbers that accompany their sizable frames.

Dunn is 6-6 and 275 pounds, while Kearns is 6-3 and 245. "Javon is a valuable part of the Reds’ future, because they will need speed," Dismuke said. "Those big donkeys hit it out of the ballpark, but every now and then you need a Ryan Freel, and he’s that type."

E-mail David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com

http://www.tfponline.com/QuickHeadli...26ID%3DAr02700

[reds44]

Updated stats. Sorry I have been slacking lately.

[paintmered]

The batting average is impressive, no doubt. But I'm a little troubled that he only has 9 extra base hits and 6 walks in 171 at-bats.

Seems to me, he's not much more than a singles hitter with little patience at the plate. And while that's not necessarly a bad thing, I don't think he projects any higher than a reserve outfielder.