By TOM BONE
PRINCETON — The mountains of southern West Virginia, not to mention the ballparks of the Appalachian League, were new to left-handed pitcher Matthew Moore at this time last year. Chosen in the eighth round by Tampa Bay in the 2007 draft, the New Mexico resident had a lot to learn.
This June, his second at Hunnicutt Field, Moore takes the mound a more mature and confident pitcher. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound southpaw is happy to have a couple of familiar faces helping him in his quest to climb up the organized baseball ladder to the big leagues.
For one thing, there’s the good relationship he has with catcher Mayo Acosta, also returning to the Princeton franchise. “Me and Mayo, we work really well together,” Moore said. “When he puts (the signal) down, that’s the pitch I’m feeling to throw, 99 percent of the time. So I’m real happy about that, to get him back here.
“I’m sure he doesn’t want to be here. But I think it’s a good thing for me, and for this team.” He also has great faith in the frank advice of pitching coach Marty DeMerritt, a former major league pitching coach with the Giants and Cubs.
DeMerritt, Moore said, is “a great guy. He’s the most honest guy I’ve ever met. He’s going to tell you straightforward, and I think that’s overall what’s best for you. To have somebody out there to tell you if you sucked one day, or if you were real good the day before, he’s going to tell you the truth.”
He also expressed a high opinion of Princeton manager Joe Szekely, who led the Appy-bound team for about half of their extended spring training games. “He’s a really good guy,” Moore said, “and I’m looking forward to the season and playing under him.”
The Rays get their first opportunity to do that in a real-game situation this evening at the Princeton field. The 2008 Appalachian League campaign begins with Princeton hosting the Pulaski Mariners at 7 p.m. Admission is free, courtesy of First Community Bank.
The first 400 fans will receive glow-in-the-dark mini-bats courtesy of the bank. Magnet schedules will be handed out to the first 700 fans, courtesy of Kroger.
Moore, who will earn the start in tonight’s opener, was born in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., but calls Edgewood, N.M., home. When he arrived in Princeton last year, he said it amounted to “kind of a culture shock, to see all of this green around. But I really got to enjoy it last year once I got settled in, and I think I’ll enjoy this year as well.”
He noted, “We had great fans last year, and we’re looking forward to that this year.” He remembered especially “a few faithful fans that would show up every night, (even if it was) raining or being on a losing streak, or whatnot.”
In his first professional season, Moore appeared in eight games, starting three, and posted a 2.66 earned-run average and a 0-0 win-loss record. In 20 1/3 innings, he allowed only one home run, striking out 29 and walking 16 with 12 batters getting hits. All six runs he allowed were earned.
Comparing this year to that one, Moore said, “I’m going into this season kind of knowing what to expect. … I worked on a lot of things in extended spring training that I feel a lot more comfortable with, going into this season.”
He said that included polishing up on his pitching mechanics, and “controlling the running game, a lot of things along those lines.”
Moore, who turns 19 on Wednesday, said that the success of the Tampa Bay Rays at the start of the Major League Baseball season had an effect on the young men still working out for the franchise in the Florida heat, waiting for the minor league seasons to start.
“Especially when the older guys are doing well, we feed off that,” Moore said. “So, it’s good to see them doing well this year.”
— Contact Tom Bone
at tbone@bdtonline.com
