Philadelphia Phillies: Matt Moore’s comeback tour off to a strong start

A former All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays wayyy back in 2013, Matt Moore has had a relatively interesting career in the MLB thus far. Once regarded as the top prospect in all of baseball (even ahead of Bryce Harper!), Moore never really developed into the “Ace” that projections initially had him at. Now with the Philadelphia Phillies on a one-year “prove it” deal, Moore is looking to cap off his legacy with one giant cherry on top.

After 2014, Moore was never really able to recapture his previous All-Star form. He posted a 5.43 ERA across 12 starts with Tampa in 2015, was traded to San Francisco in 2016 after another shaky couple of games, and then led the entire MLB in losses (15) during his 2017 season with San Fran.

He messed around as a reliever with the Rangers in 2018, pitched just ten innings with Detroit in 2019, and then ultimately packed his things and went overseas in an attempt to rebuild himself as a starting pitcher.

Philadelphia Phillies LHP Matt Moore has looked impressive thus far.

After a quiet, yet very productive 2020 pitching in Japan, Moore found himself one again garnering some major league interest. Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies ended up being the top suitors, resulting in Moore coming to Philadelphia on a one-year deal worth $3 million. Whether it was the money or the opportunity to be a full-time starter that intrigued Moore the most, he’s wasted little time making a name for himself amongst the Phillies’ pitching staff.

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Having already pitched four innings for the Phils down in Clearwater, the veteran lefty has been borderline flawless. He’s yet to allow a run, he’s only allowed three baserunners, and he’s tacked on two strikeouts as well. His fastball velocity appears noticeably higher compared to his Detroit days, and his sinking changeup is dancing all over the zone.

It’s also worth highlighting that Moore looks quite a bit thinner compared to his few outings with the Tigers in 2019. One can only assume that he’s making a conscious effort to stay in better physical shape for his second MLB tour.

Once upon a time Moore was a guy you could count on to give you an ERA in the mid 3.00s. The Phillies likely aren’t expecting all that from the 31 year old southpaw at this stage in his career, but Moore slotting in as a reliable #5 towards the back of the rotation would go quite a long ways in terms of boosting the Phils’ overall playoff odds.

Last season Joe Girardi had to turn to guys like Vince Velasquez, rookie Adonis Medina, and even Blake Parker to make crucial starts down the stretch. That’s obviously something he’d like to avoid in 2021.

There’s still a long ways to go before Opening Day is upon us, but thus far, Moore has looked better than initially advertised. If he keeps this level of intensity and performance up moving into April, the Philadelphia Phillies would have to be pleased with their overall investment.

For Moore, a solid 2021 with the Phils would go a long ways in terms of securing himself another, more finically lucrative contract in Major League Baseball.