The Philadelphia Phillies made a trade to acquire prospects Robert Moore and Hendry Mendez from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Rule 5-eligible Oliver Dunn, in anticipation of roster decisions on Tuesday.
At first glance, it appeared to be a straightforward roster-clearing maneuver to avoid losing Dunn in the Rule 5 Draft or needing to place him on the 40-man roster. However, a closer examination reveals more going on behind the scenes in the Phillies’ comeback.
The Phillies received more in Robert Moore than just a standard 21-year-old shortstop prospect. They acquired a young player who was once thought to be a lock to make it to the major leagues and had ties to the Texas Rangers, who had just won the World Series.
Moore is the son of Dayton Moore, a former general manager of the Kansas City Royals during their World Series championship seasons in 2015 and 2014, and senior advisor of baseball operations for the Rangers.
Moore looked like a can’t miss first-round draft pick
Moore appeared to be a surefire first-round pick out of the University of Arkansas at one point. As a 19-year-old in his second season at Arkansas, he hit.283 in 61 games with a.942 OPS, 16 home runs, and 53 RBI. He was named to the All-SEC first team and the second team of the All-Americans.
Sadly, the 5-foot-9 shortstop had a rough draft season. In his third season as a Razorback, Moore was twenty years old. He hit just.232 with an.801 OPS, eight home runs, and forty-four RBI, but as a second baseman, he won the college equivalent of the Gold Glove Award.
In the end, the Brewers selected him with the 72nd overall pick in the second round of the 2022 draft. As stated by Adam McCalvy and Anne Rogers of MLB.com: “Moore himself attributed the dip to a stretch of bad games, which are tough to overcome from a statistical standpoint in a short season.”
Moore had a stellar 2022 debut in the Major League Baseball, slashing.264/.352/.418 in Low-A with three home runs, 14 RBI, and six stolen bases.
The Kansas native played in the Australian Baseball League’s Brisbane during the winter. Down under, he appeared to settle into a groove, batting.294 in 40 games with an.894 OPS, eight home runs, 33 RBI, and 14 steals.
Moore played a full season in High-A in the Midwest League upon his return to the United States for the 2023 season, but he once more struggled to a.233 average and a.682 OPS. In 123 games, he stole 26 bags, added 33 doubles, drove in 62 runs, and hit eight home runs.
Moore lacks the draft pick status, but he still possesses the background and credentials necessary to succeed in the major leagues. The Phillies made a smart gamble given what they gave up.