Around the Curve | Moss Takes Next Step With Double-A Altoona

An in-season trade is one of the most challenging moments for a young player. For Curve first baseman, Callan Moss, it was just another day at the yard with High-A Quad City in the Kansas City Royals minor league system.

“That was wild, we were playing the South Bend Cubs in South Bend Indiana,” Moss relayed in the Curve batting cages earlier this season. “We finished hitting BP and my Manager called me in the office and got on the phone with the Farm Director and let me know that I was being traded to the Pirates.”

It was one of several deadline moves made the Pirates, this one sent lefty Bailey Falter to Kansas City and returned Moss and lefty Evan Sisk to the Pirates.

After one last night with his teammates in Quad Cities, Moss was on a 9 a.m. flight to meet his new teammates playing for Greensboro. Moss quickly made an impression and was named the South Atlantic League’s Player of the Week in his first week with the ‘Hoppers and subsequently was named Player of the Month in August after he led the league in batting, OBP and OPS (.993). Moss helped Greensboro reach the postseason alongside current Curve players Titus Dumitru, Keiner Delgado, Jesus Castilo and Lonnie White Jr.

“These guys are ballers,” Moss said with a smile. “I remember we would follow them when we were in Quad Cities, we thought they were the best High-A team in the world! They threw a couple of no-hitters and were leading the world in like every offensive category. Just the way they go about they work, this group has some of the best infielders I have ever seen.”

Moss has gotten off to a solid start for the Curve, reaching base safely in 26-of-31 games played to begin the season. Moss smacked his first Double-A homer on April 4^th against the Harrisburg Senators and has continued to hold down a key spot in the middle of the Curve batting order.

“Coming into the season it was about improving my defense a little, becoming more mobile to cover more ground in the field, and then offensively, just keep doing what we’ve been doing. Mix in a little more power production in there and keep climbing,” Moss reflected.

And if he were to climb to the big leagues, what is the one ballpark he wants to hit a home run in?

“Yankee Stadium, no doubt. Derek Jeter was my favorite player when I was ten years-old, pinstripes on the walls, a Derek Jeter sign above my bed, the whole thing,” Moss said with a laugh.

For the Brooklyn-born first baseman, he may not be that far away from that opportunity.