Tampa Bay Rays’ Top 5 Prospects of 2011- How They Worked Out

1. Matt Moore

Major League Career: 9 years (6 w/ Rays)

Career rWAR: 5.6 (5.4 w/ Rays)

Matt Moore was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the eight-round of the 2007 Draft.

Matt Moore has played for four different Major League franchises. He has compiled a career 4.51 ERA with a 1.402 WHIP.

His lone All-Star appearance came with the Rays in 2013 when he posted a 3.29 REA over 150.1 innings pitched.

After his 17-4 All-Star season, it appeared Ace-hood was on the horizon for the 24-year-old lefty. Just two games into 2014 Moore strained his UCL and went under the knife with Tommy John. He has not had a season with an ERA below 4.08 and his total ERA since Tommy John surgery is 5.13.

He was never the same.

Moore played with the Rays for six seasons and posted a total 3.88 ERA during his tenure in Tampa. It’s been a different story everywhere else.

Moore was traded to the San Francisco Giants midway through the 2016 season. At the time of the trade, he had a 4.08 ERA through 21 games with the Rays. In the 12 games he pitched for the Giants, he also posted a 4.08 ERA.

In the two full seasons following the trade, Matt Moore went 9-23 with a 5.99 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP.

Conclusion

Matt Moore was a very good pitcher for the Rays over parts of six seasons. In typical Rays’ fashion, they were able to flip him for more players before the wheels fell off. In the deal with the Giants, they received Matt Duffy, Michael Santos, and Lucius Fox.

Duffy was a popular player for the Rays but unfortunately, his time in Tampa was marked by injuries.

Santos reached AA-Montgomery last season.

Baseball Prospectus ranked Lucius Fox inside their Top 100 Prospects prior to last season and the Rays’ added him to the 40-man roster heading into 2020.

Matt Moore has to be considered a success. Granted, the Tommy John surgery changed things for him, but talent-wise, he proved he could be a top-flight pitcher in the major leagues. He was a top-flight pitcher for the Rays. His career ERA of 3.88 while wearing a Rays uniform is well above-average.

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