Though he is still seeking his first hit as a St. Louis Cardinal, newly acquired Brandon Moss is still all smiles as he’s taken in the energy and atmosphere of his new home.
“This is just a very special place, to be able to be here–I can’t really put into words,” began Moss. “I was extremely excited when I found I got traded here because there’s a lot of teams that if you’re going to get traded you get traded to, but to come here and be a part of this team and this organization–I don’t think you could ask for anything better.”
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An American League All-Star in 2014 and with 20+ home runs each of the last three seasons, Moss has seen his power numbers stay relatively consistent but his batting average lower than his usual splits.
“The thing is I know who I am as a player and I know what I do as a player,” said Moss. “I know that swing wise–my swing’s not messed up or anything like that. I’ve had some bad at-bats.”
He also points to a slow start (5-35) that put him in a hole to open the season.
“You start pressing, trying to make a good impression–I was in a new place,” explained Moss. “Next thing you know, you try to do more than you should be doing and then it’s an uphill battle for the rest of the year. It’s one of those things–a lot of things. I can’t really explain it. I played terrible in Cleveland.”
In particular was the power void for Moss, who hit only two of his 15 home runs while playing at Progressive Field this season.
“I do think you could make an argument that left-handers do struggle in Cleveland,” said Cardinals GM John Mozeliak. “You look at his home/road splits, they’re certainly glaring. We’re hoping that getting here at Busch and also in the National League Central, he can benefit from that.”
So, was it the ballpark??
“No, I mean I don’t think so,” said Moss. “It was just one of those things–I kept finding myself being late. I would start trying to speed up, start trying to get ready earlier and then off-speed would just tear me apart. Then for some reason we’d go on the road and I’d see the ball a little bit better–it wasn’t so much seeing it, it was feeling like I had time.”
No longer having to deal with situation, Moss is all smiles about the chance to play in St. Louis.
“The opportunity to come and be in a playoff atmosphere–to be on a team that’s got a chance, a great chance, to go into the postseason and do special things there,” said Moss. “I had that opportunity the last three years and you never take that for granted. You always become a better player when you’re playing in an environment where it’s about winning the baseball game. When you’re in an environment where you’re struggling and the team’s struggling, it just kind of weighs on you.”
That weight and internal pressure to do more than what you can was lifted with the news he was headed to St. Louis.
“When you’re playing on a team that’s playing great and has so many great players on it, you just want to do your part,” continued Moss. “You’re happy if you go 0-3 but you move two runners over and one or two of them scored on the night, you’re happy with that because you contributed to winning the ballgame. That’s what makes the difference in organizations like this that are always winning, is preaching the right way to play.”
photo credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
