KC Royals: Mike Moustakas Proved Himself In 2015

No player on the KC Royals team needed to prove themselves more in 2015 than third baseman Mike Moustakas. Moose proved himself to the team and to the fans by posting a career year in 2015.

2015 was a great year for all of the Kansas City Royals, as winning a World Series is the highest accomplishment one can achieve each year in Major League Baseball. Mike Moustakas, however, could argue that he had the best year out of any of the Royals, simply because he finally stepped up to the plate (literally) and proved his worth to the team.

After being selected second overall in the 2007 draft, Moose had a slow start in the minors. He didn’t make it to the majors until the 2011 season, where he finished the year with a .263 batting average and five home runs in 89 games.

From there, Moose’s batting average declined every year. His worst year, however, came in 2014. Moose was so bad that season that he was actually demoted to Triple-A Omaha early on in the season. His stay in Omaha was short though, as Danny Valencia became injured and the Royals had no choice but to call Moustakas back up to the big leagues.

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With an underwhelming .212 batting average in 140 games, Moose showed up for the Royals’ first stint in the playoffs since 1985. He hit five home runs, including two clutch ones in extra innings (one in the ALDS and one in the ALCS). He also had that crazy catch in the dugout in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Orioles.

It was weird seeing Moose be the reliable guy after the poor season he had, but fans were about to experience the new Mike Moustakas in 2015.

The 2015 season was motivation for all of the KC Royals and their fans. Ninety feet away from tying the World Series in 2014 still hurt, and Moose seemed determined to make sure the result was different in 2015.

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He showed up in a big way on opening day by hitting the first home run of the season against Jeff Samardzija (who then beaned Lorenzo Cain on the next pitch) and that was the beginning of the beautiful for Moustakas. That home run was also Moose’s first home run hit to left field in his entire career.

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Beating the shift proved to be the difference maker for Moose, as he not only posted a career high batting average of .284, but also hit a career high 22 home runs, and made it to his first All-Star game.

It was an incredible sight for Kansas City Royals fans to see Mike Moustakas finally being the type of player he was drafted to be. Time and time again in 2015, a crucial moment would arise, and Moose would run to the rescue with a big time hit to keep the Royals in the game.

Some of the most memorable Mike Moustakas moments this past season were being just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle against the New York Yankees and hitting for nine RBI against the Orioles. These are two things that fans never would have expected from a guy who was going down the “bust” route the season prior.

Moose has always been one of the more popular Royals due to his nickname (MOOOOOSE), but he really earned the fans’ trust in 2015 with the way he played.

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While we won’t know if Moustakas can keep up his incredible 2015 campaign this year, fans can still take solace in the fact that he helped this team win the World Series.