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Kansas City Royals: Is Mike Moustakas A Switch Hitter

By Scott Dillon

Oct 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas (8) hits an RBI single during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of the ALCS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas (8) hits an RBI single during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of the ALCS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mike Moustakas made huge strides for the Kansas City Royals last year as he learned to hit to all fields. Is he learning to hit from the other side of the plate now?

Last season, Mike Moustakas came to Spring Training in an attempt to prove that he had put in work in the off-season. He worked his way into the second spot in the lineup when he proved that he can hit to all fields. His hard work paid off and rewarded the Royals for their patience.

From the left side of the plate last season, the ‘Moose’ put together an impressive season for the Royals. His slash line of .284/.348/.470 was a career high from left to right. He also had career highs in RBIs and home runs and tied his previous career high with 34 doubles.

Yes, last off-season Moustakas worked diligently on beating the shift, and saw a career year as a result. This off-season has he added switch hitting to his repertoire?

Jeffrey Flanager, the Royals beat writer for MLB.com, tweeted the following about Mike Moustakas yesterday:

That’s certainly an impressive feat for a left-handed batter, but not one that’s all that difficult to believe. Mike Moustakas is a good athlete with excellent hand-eye coordination. He’s a plus defender with the glove and his throwing arm is his right arm.

There are a lot of players in the Major Leagues, and at all levels really, that hit left-handed but throw with their opposite hand. That’s not to say all of them are capable of dropping bombs from each side of the plate.

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Is Mike Moustakas actually considering a career as a switch-hitter or is this likely the result of a clubhouse that’s loose and relaxed?

Moustakas batted .282 against left-handed pitchers last season and hit ten of his 22 home runs against southpaws as well. He averaged a home run every 20.6 at-bats against lefties compared to a home run every 28.6 at-bats against right handed pitchers.

His strikeout rate was just under 12 percent against southpaws compared to almost 16 percent against right handed pitchers. He did hit more doubles against right handed pitching, but he also had about 150 more at-bats also.

The Royals tweeted this yesterday which may explain Moustakas’ hacks from the wrong side of the plate:

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The Royals do like to have fun. That’s what makes them the team that they are. If anyone thinks that beating the projection systems time and time again doesn’t have at least a little to do with playing loose and having fun, then they probably aren’t Royals’ fans or players.

If Mike Moustakas want’s to keep slapping baseballs over the fence from the wrong side of the plate, who cares. As long as he’s focused on getting his work in and improving on his breakout campaign from 2015 then he can do pretty much whatever he wants. In the words of Allen Iverson, ‘We talking about practice’ after all.

While Moustakas isn’t likely trying to become a switch hitter, take this as a positive sign. If being the World Champions is adding pressure to this team, things like this don’t prove it. It’s just another sign that 2016 should be a fun ride full of unexpected twists and turns.

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What do you think KC Royals’ fans? Is Mike Moustakas actually working on something here? Is this just a sign that the team is as relaxed and fun-loving as ever? Let me know your thoughts in the comments’ section below.

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