Moreno’s star is certainly burning brightest now in the World Series spotlight. In Saturday’s 9-1 blowout win over the Rangers in Texas to even the best-of-seven series at a win apiece, the budding young star belted his fourth homer this postseason. That blast put him within one of the postseason record set by Cleveland’s Sandy mar JrAlo. in 1997.
While Jays fans lament the one that got away via a deal that sent Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the desert for outfielder and defensive ace Daulton Varsho, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has been blown away by the maturity Moreno has shown in just his second year in the big leagues at age 23.
“His heartbeat, his ability to stay at one level despite any circumstance,” Lovullo remarked during his media availability on Monday when questioned about Moreno’s most impressive qualities. “The common denominator between what you’re viewing and what I’m seeing is that he’s a tremendously outstanding baseball player.
“He knows what he’s trying to do at the plate every pitch, and he knows what he’s trying to accomplish with his pitchers every pitch. That, to me, is maturity.
While the Diamondbacks had a solid notion what they were getting in Moreno, he didn’t come ready-made. There was still additional development to be done.
“It took him a little while to get our concepts down,” he remarked. “But since midway, things began to fall into place for him. “What stands out for me is his emotional stability every night.”
Those qualities have been duly noted by Moreno’s teammates as well, as Saturday’s starter Merrill Kelly shared following his stellar seven-inning effort to help his team square the series.
“The strides I’ve seen Gabby have from the beginning of the season to where we are now is incredible,” Kelly told reporters in Texas following Game 2. “I’ve said it multiple times in the last couple of weeks and the last couple of days, but I can’t wait until I’m 50 years old and I’m watching Gabby Moreno still playing in the big leagues. I think he’s that type of talent, that type of mentality.
“For as young as he is, he’s not scared of the moment. He’s not scared of anything that I’ve really seen.”
The Jays saw many of those qualities, of course, from signing him, to developing him, to ushering him to his big league debut in 2022.
It’s a fact not lost on the youngster, either. Once he got over the shock of the trade — he was well aware of his prospect status, after all — he maintained fond memories of the team that developed him.
