Moore fireworks from Rocket City's newest slugger

Christian Moore has found a way to do even more in his torrid start to professional baseball.

The eighth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Angels -- who made a quick ascent to Double-A after two appearances for Single-A Inland Empire -- got even hotter when jumping two levels. Moore recorded a multihomer game Friday, marking his second in the past three days for Rocket City and bringing his total to six long balls in seven games.

In AL/NL history, only two players have hit two-or-more multihomer games within their first seven Major League contests: Trevor Story (Rockies) in 2016 and Mark Quinn (Royals) in 1999.

The Tennessee product contributed to all four runs for the Trash Pandas on Friday in a 6-4 loss at Toyota Field. In his second four-hit game in three days, Moore slugged a two-run homer in the third inning and a solo shot in the sixth, matching a career-high three RBIs -- which he's now reached four times in seven contests. He also added a pair of singles, scoring a third run on a Sam Brown groundout in the eighth.

"He's just a special talent, special person," Rocket City manager Andy Schatzley said. "Really good blend, obviously, of a really special skill set with an off-the-charts makeup and work ethic, and so you're just seeing the fruits of that labor sooner rather than later."

In an eventful summer that featured a National Championship with the Tennessee Volunteers, Moore has stayed process oriented in Schatzley's eyes. The 21-year-old has impressed the staff, culminating the last three months into maturity and leadership that Schatzley felt right away in the clubhouse.

"You're talking about a really good teammate that's coming into a really good group environment and group dynamic,” the third-year manager said. "That's a good combination."

As Moore puts together a historic start in his short time with Los Angeles, the right-handed-hitting second baseman has drawn path comparisons to the Angels' top pick in 2023, Nolan Schanuel. Receiving a callup to the Major Leagues straight from Double-A last year, Schanuel became the first 2023 draftee to reach The Show, yet he also kept his rookie eligibility for the 2024 season.

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But for Schatzley, who managed Schanuel for 17 games last season, he doesn’t like comparisons or setting goals and expectations. He finds the thought of linking a player to another a trap.

"You try not to attach a ton of that to it," Schatzley said. "Everybody progresses at their own pace, so you try not to read too much into it, one way or the other. And as cliche as it sounds, just try to take it a day at a time and just start the process of trying to stack a ton of good days together."

Moore is slashing .548/.576/1.194 in his first seven games across two levels with the highest OPS among hitters drafted in 2024. In a quick rise through the system, Schatzley believes every prospect is building relationships and learning "what the Angels are all about."

"I think it's a blend of everything," Schatzley said about general manager Perry Minasian and director of player development Joey Prebynski. "I think it's a total package of Perry's vision and what he’s trying to execute. It starts with him. It starts with the top and the systems and everything that he puts in place. From a player evaluation and a scouting standpoint, those guys have done a great job."