Brandon Moss facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brandon Moss |
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Moss with the Cleveland Indians
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| Outfielder / First baseman | |||
| Born: September 16, 1983 Monroe, Georgia, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 6, 2007, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 2017, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .237 | ||
| Home runs | 160 | ||
| Runs batted in | 473 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Brandon Douglas Moss (born September 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder and first baseman. Brandon played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven different teams. These teams included the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals.
Brandon Moss was a promising young player for the Red Sox. He made his MLB debut in 2007. In 2008, he was traded to the Pirates. He later played for the Phillies in 2011. Moss joined the Athletics in 2012 and became a very important player for them. He was even chosen to play in the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. After the 2014 season, he was traded to the Indians. Then, in 2015, he moved to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Brandon Moss's Baseball Journey
Starting with the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox picked Brandon Moss in the eighth round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. He was 18 years old and played infielder and pitcher in high school. But the Red Sox helped him become an outfielder.
Moss worked his way up through the minor leagues. He played for teams like the Gulf Coast Red Sox and the Lowell Spinners. He spent two years with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. He also played for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox.
On August 6, 2007, Moss joined the Boston Red Sox in the major leagues. He got his first major league hit against the Los Angeles Angels. He was sent back to the minor leagues a few days later. But he was called back up on September 1 when teams could have more players.
In 2008, during a special MLB game series in Japan, Moss hit his first major league home run. After playing two games, he was sent back to the minor leagues. He was called up again in April. But in May, he had to have emergency surgery for appendicitis.
Playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates
On July 31, 2008, Moss was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. This trade was part of a big deal involving three teams. Moss became the Pirates' starting left fielder. Later, he moved to right field. He played 158 times at bat for the Pirates.
In 2009, he started as the Pirates' right fielder. But he later played less often. He still had a good year with 20 doubles and seven home runs. He also had 41 runs batted in.
In 2010, Moss struggled at the start of the season. The Pirates decided to remove him from their main roster. He then played for their Triple-A team, the Indianapolis Indians.
Time with the Philadelphia Phillies
In December 2010, Moss signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent most of that year in the minor leagues. He was called up to the Phillies' main team on September 16. He played for their Triple-A team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, before that. He became a free agent in October. He did not get any hits in his six times at bat for the Phillies.
Becoming a Star with the Oakland Athletics
On December 1, 2011, Moss signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics. While playing in Triple-A, Moss thought about quitting baseball. He wanted to go back to Georgia and become a firefighter. But on June 6, 2012, the Athletics brought him up to the major leagues. Moss struggled at first, but then he hit five home runs in just four games!
Moss had two exciting "walk-off" hits for the Athletics. A walk-off hit is one that ends the game by scoring the winning run. On July 20, he hit a single that won the game against the New York Yankees. On September 29, he hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning against the Seattle Mariners.
In 2012, Moss played first base with another player, Chris Carter. He had a great year, hitting 21 home runs. On April 30, 2013, Moss hit a two-run walk-off home run in the 19th inning! This was his second home run of the night. It ended the longest game in Athletics history, which lasted over six and a half hours. Moss had a very good 2013 season, hitting 30 home runs and getting 87 RBI.
Moss started the 2014 season very well. He had a .265 batting average, 23 home runs, and 71 RBI. He also hit three grand slams that year. Because of his great play, Moss was chosen to represent the Oakland Athletics at the 2014 All-Star Game.
In the 2014 American League Wild Card Game, Moss hit two home runs. One was a two-run shot, and the other was a three-run blast. His 5 RBI that night set a new record for the Athletics in a single postseason game. However, the Athletics lost the game to the Kansas City Royals.
Moving to the Cleveland Indians
On December 8, 2014, the Athletics traded Moss to the Cleveland Indians. Before the 2015 season, he had surgery on his hip. This surgery affected how he played in 2015. Moss said he lost power in his swing. He played 94 games for Cleveland, hitting 15 home runs and getting 50 RBI.
Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals
On July 30, 2015, the Indians traded Moss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He got his first hit with the Cardinals on August 1. The next day, he hit a game-winning single. On August 27, he hit his first home run as a Cardinal. On September 1, Moss hit a three-run, walk-off home run against the Washington Nationals. In 2015, he hit a total of 19 home runs and had 58 RBI for both Cleveland and St. Louis.
Before the 2016 season, Moss and the Cardinals agreed to a one-year contract. On April 10, he hit his first home run of the season. This home run meant he had hit a home run against all 30 MLB teams! On June 1, he hit his tenth home run of the season. This was his third home run as a pinch hitter. On June 30, 2016, he hit the longest home run in Busch Stadium history. It traveled 477 feet!
The Cardinals put Moss on the injured list on July 5 because of an ankle sprain. He returned to play on August 2.
Joining the Kansas City Royals
On February 1, 2017, Moss signed a two-year contract with the Kansas City Royals.
Second Time with the Athletics
On January 29, 2018, Moss was traded back to the Athletics. He was later removed from the team's main roster on March 4. After this, Moss said he would retire if he did not find another major league team. He was released two days later.
Brandon Moss's Life Outside Baseball
Moss and his wife, Allison, got married when he was 20 and she was 18. They have two children. Their first child, Jayden, was born in 2009. Their second child, Brody, was born in 2013.
Brandon Moss is also a distant cousin of the famous country music singer Alan Jackson.
See also
- Boston Red Sox all-time roster
- Cleveland Indians all-time roster
- Philadelphia Phillies all-time roster
- Pittsburgh Pirates all-time roster
- Oakland Athletics all-time roster
- St. Louis Cardinals all-time roster
