[NPSoxfan]

i saw this kid play in a double header against Asheville last week Colorado’s A team in NC. he was absolutely on fire both games the first game he went 2-3 with 2 doubles 2 stolen basses and 5 rbi the second game he was 2-3 and reached on an error. he is leading all sox prospects in batting average but this is all that i know about him. Does any one ells have any info??

"The hottest player in the Sox system remains lefthanded outfielder Brandon Moss at Augusta. Through Thursday, the 20-year-old was hitting .414 with 3 homers and 16 RBIs in July, and .364 with 10 homers and 83 RBIs overall. He was leading the system with 17 steals"Nick Cafardo - Minor League Notebook

[Naehring Nirvana]

Yeah, need more info on this stud.

[Seabass]

Here's his numbers from SoxProspects.com. They had him ranked as the #2 position player behind Hanley Ramirez. Absolutely dirty numbers.Brandon Moss

 avg   g   ab   r   h  hr rbi sb cs bb  so   slg    obp     ops 
.422  23  83  16  35   2  10  2  0  7  15  0.542  0.462  1.004

[NPSoxfan]

soxprospects.com

Age: 21
Born: September 16, 1983
Monroe, GA
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Drafted: 8th Round, 2002
How Acquired: Draft
High School: Loganville HS
ETA: 2007

Scouting Report: Athletic outfielder with a good arm. Excellent approach at the plate - good swing with a raw power. Moss is a competitor. He didn't show much at the plate in his first two professional seasons, but put in a good amount of work in the off-season prior to 2004, producing an utstanding 2004 season in all respects.

2004 Augusta SAL 21 Bos A 0.339 109 433 66 147 25 6 13 101 19 8 46 75 0.515 0.402 0.917
2004 Sarasota FSL 21 Bos A 0.422 23 83 16 35 2 1 2 10 2 0 7 15 0.542 0.462 1.004

This post has been edited by NPSoxfan: 19 November 2004 - 11:06 AM

[SoxFan24]

here's some stuff from Baseball America

Moss:
Moss could be a solid right fielder who hits .300 with 20-25 homers per year. Hall and Murphy haven't proven they have that kind of bat yet. Thinks starting Moss in AA would be pushing it. I could see him in Double-A in the second half, however.

I don't see Moss as a tweener. He was 20 all season, and he's a gifted lefthanded hitter who had 49 extra-base hits. He has enough offense to play on the corner. Trot Nixon never had a season like that in the lower minors, and his power developed.

[C_Otto]

Quote

I don't see Moss as a tweener. He was 20 all season, and he's a gifted lefthanded hitter who had 49 extra-base hits. He has enough offense to play on the corner. Trot Nixon never had a season like that in the lower minors, and his power developed.

The thing to remember about Nixon is that he had a chipped bone in his back in his first season (Carolina League), limiting him to 264 at bats. He did have 12 doubles and 12 home runs in those at bats, which prorates to 24/0/14 in 528 AB. Moss got his 25/7/15 in 516 AB, but about 80% of them were in low-A.

I'm not trying to make light of Moss's potential; rather, I think Nixon's performance needs to be looked at in perspective. First, the Carolina League was considered high-A. Second, because of the injury, he only got 358 at bats in his second year.

I suspect that Moss will begin the season with Wilmington, which will give us an opportunity to see he he performs in that league, albeit about one-half year older than Nixon at the time. I hope he outperforms Nixon.

[r00fer]

Brandon was ranked as the 79th best prospect by theminorsfirst.com:

Quote

79. Brandon Moss- OF Bos (9/16/83)
It took Moss a little while to get accustomed to pro pitching… he toiled for 2 years in short season leagues before breaking out in 2004. I usually question the futures of players that just all of a sudden burst onto the scene, but Moss looked really good all season and he looks poised to get even better.

[scotian1]

Does anyone know where the talk has him starting the season ie: either high A or AA? I like this players work effort and how he turned his numbers around last year.

[NPSoxfan]

i think he is going to be starting in hi A ball but if his bat stays as hot as it was last year and his feilding stays good he should move up to AA fast all though as i am tiping this i am reading on SoxProspects.com that they have him projected to start the season out in portland. I think this may be too big of a jump for him right now. he only has half a season in high a ball and just showing his power after strugling his first two years. i think another half season in Wilmington will be better there is no rush to bring this kid up we have trot under contract so he doesn't have to be ready for a couple more years.

[r00fer]

Brandon Moss was ranked as the 55th best prospect in baseball by Bryan Smith of Wait Til Next Year.

Quote

55. Brandon Moss- OF- Boston Red Sox- 21

Color me undecided on Brandon Moss’ prospect status, thus his conservative placement out of the top fifty. I considered entire exclusion once upon a time, but his yearly averages are too high to ignore. Guys seldom go from trying to break the .700 OPS mark in the NYPL to batting titles in low-A, but Brandon Moss is not a ‘normal’ prospect.

Looking at his statistics, my first knock on Moss would be his dependency on average to boost his slugging. He has a lot of room left to be desired in ISO, being .176 in the Sally League, and just .120 in his ‘stellar’ Florida State League promotion. But things are not always as they appear, and even his average could draw the shaky label. Thanks to the Hardball Times, I can tell you that the 2004 AL BABIP average was .303. Moss was ridiculously higher, sporting a .381 BABIP in low-A and (gasp!) .493 in high-A. Given the same number of plate appearances with a .303 BABIP, Moss would have hit just .276 in low-A, and down to .269 in Sarasota. And that slugging wouldn’t smell .500.

But again, I think there is more than meets the surface here. Moss is apparently a line-drive hitter, and it’s been said (Studes) that line drives help boost BABIP. And there is no questioning Moss’ ability to put pressure on the defense, since his worst month featured just a 20.5 K%. His contact skills are apparent, as flukes could not cause 14-game hitting streaks upon arrival to the FSL. They would have at least one of his monthly averages under .300 (lowest was .317 in July). And he probably would have issues trying to match multi-hit games (64) with not (68). Those, my friends, are notable feats.

In conclusion, I ask the jury to stay in deliberation in sentencing Moss’ future. Time will tell if Moss becomes a martyr for the BABIP movement, or the man to prove the importance of LD%.

[JohntheBaptist]

OK, I'm going to kick of 2005 for Brandon Moss here. I ask that if you have any info you see posted around that you PM me with it, and I'll throw it up. All due credit shall be doled out. Here goes.

http://media.theinsiders.com/Media/Player/445118_Brandon-Moss-Augusta-Head.JPG

Brandon Moss- Sox Prospects

Age: 21
Born: September 16, 1983
Monroe, GA
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Drafted: 8th Round, 2002
How Acquired: Draft
High School: Loganville HS
ETA: 2007

Brandon Moss, a 20 year old OF, was drafted in the 8th round of the 2002 draft by the Boston Red Sox out of Loganville HS in Monroe, GA. Born in 1983, Moss has thus far seen time up the ladder of A ball, starting with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, then the Lowell Spinners,Augusta Green Jackets, and Sarasota Sox.

Here's his excellent 2004:

               LG  AG ORG     AVG   G  AB  R  H  2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO   SLG   OBP   OPS 
2004 Augusta  SAL 21 Bos A  .339 109 433 66 147 25  6 13 101 19  8 46 75  .515  .402  .917    
2004 Sarasota FSL 21 Bos A  .422  23  83 16  35  2  1  2  10  2  0  7 15  .542  .462 1.004

Here's soxprospects.com's scouting report:

Quote

Athletic outfielder with a good arm.  Excellent approach at the plate - good swing with a raw power. Moss is a competitor. He didn't show much at the plate in his first two professional seasons, but put in a good amount of work in the off-season prior to 2004, producing an utstanding 2004 season in all respects.

And his list of awards, also from Sox Prospects:

Quote

2004 SoxProspects.com Player of the Year
2004 Augusta GreenJackets Player of the Year
2004 South Atlantic League MVP
2004 SAL Post-Season All-Star
Florida State League Player of the Week (8.22.04)
2004 Red Sox Minor League Player of the Month (July)
South Atlantic League Player of the Month (July 2004)
2004 South Atlantic League All Star
2004 South Atlantic League All Star Game MVP
2004 Red Sox Minor League Player of the Month (May)
2004 Baseball America Low-A Midseason All-Star

Moss ranks second amongst Red Sox prospects, according to Baseball America, who also named him the "Best Hitter for Average" in the Sox system.

Jim Callis BA chat mentioning Moss

Quote

could be a solid right fielder who hits .300 with 20-25 homers per year. Hall and Murphy haven't proven they have that kind of bat yet.

From Cambridge's chat with Callis:

Callis said:

The Red Sox have a chance to jump significantly up the rankings this year, not only because they have a lot of draft picks but also because a lot of their best prospects have proven themselves only at the lower levels. If guys like Brandon Moss, Jon Papelbon, Jon Lester, Anibal Sanchez and Co. continue to develop like they did in 2004, the system will look a lot better.

Callis said:

Moss surged past Murphy with his bat last year, and I think he'll produce for more average and more power than Murphy down the road.

Callis said:

We discussed Moss, and I think he's the biggest breakout candidate.

Appearances on Top 100 Prospect Lists:

The Minors First- #79

Quote

It took Moss a little while to get accustomed to pro pitching… he toiled for 2 years in short season leagues before breaking out in 2004. I usually question the futures of players that just all of a sudden burst onto the scene, but Moss looked really good all season and he looks poised to get even better.

Wait Til Next Year- #55

Quote

Color me undecided on Brandon Moss’ prospect status, thus his conservative placement out of the top fifty. I considered entire exclusion once upon a time, but his yearly averages are too high to ignore. Guys seldom go from trying to break the .700 OPS mark in the NYPL to batting titles in low-A, but Brandon Moss is not a ‘normal’ prospect.

Looking at his statistics, my first knock on Moss would be his dependency on average to boost his slugging. He has a lot of room left to be desired in ISO, being .176 in the Sally League, and just .120 in his ‘stellar’ Florida State League promotion. But things are not always as they appear, and even his average could draw the shaky label. Thanks to the Hardball Times, I can tell you that the 2004 AL BABIP average was .303. Moss was ridiculously higher, sporting a .381 BABIP in low-A and (gasp!) .493 in high-A. Given the same number of plate appearances with a .303 BABIP, Moss would have hit just .276 in low-A, and down to .269 in Sarasota. And that slugging wouldn’t smell .500.

But again, I think there is more than meets the surface here. Moss is apparently a line-drive hitter, and it’s been said (Studes) that line drives help boost BABIP. And there is no questioning Moss’ ability to put pressure on the defense, since his worst month featured just a 20.5 K%. His contact skills are apparent, as flukes could not cause 14-game hitting streaks upon arrival to the FSL. They would have at least one of his monthly averages under .300 (lowest was .317 in July). And he probably would have issues trying to match multi-hit games (64) with not (68). Those, my friends, are notable feats.

In conclusion, I ask the jury to stay in deliberation in sentencing Moss’ future. Time will tell if Moss becomes a martyr for the BABIP movement, or the man to prove the importance of LD%.

Baseball America has him at #72

Quote

"He's refined his overall approach at the plate and really worked hard to become a better hitter."
       --Red Sox farm director Ben Cherington

Sickels ranks Moss 3rd in the Sox organization:

Quote

Papelbon and Moss also took major steps forward last year, Moss in particular although some are still skeptical about his long-term power potential.

Moss looks to start the season in Portland, with Hanley, Pedroia, Papelbon and Lester. The Sea Dogs should be real fun to watch this summer.

Keep an eye on Moss- a lot of his BA value came from an inordinately high BABIP, which tends toward being a bit of a fluke. If that drops, it may be that his value does as well, but he may also mature as a hitter, and gain a little power. This is a big season for Brandon.

This post has been edited by JohntheBaptist: 31 March 2005 - 05:57 PM

[JohntheBaptist]

Brandon Moss went 0-1 with a sac fly last night in Arizona:

3.31.05 Box Score v Arizona

[JohntheBaptist]

Brandon is off to a bit of a slow start, though tonight, he hit a solo HR of F. Liriano of New Britain in a 6-4 Portland win (they're now 6-0).

Here's the boxscore- 4.13.05- POR 6, NBT 4

Here's an article on the game from MaineToday.com

MOSS
.154 AVG/ .200 OBP/ .231 SLG/ 1 BB, 8 K, 4 H, 13 AB

Those numbers are not including 4.13.05's 1-for-4 with a HR and RBI, his 1st and 2nd of each, respectively.

Here's the story from theDay.com on Portland's 4.11.05 victory over New Britain, a 1-0 win for Charlie Zink with the sole run driven in via sac fly by Moss: POR 1, NBT 0- 4.11.05

The K's and lack of BBs are a bit concerning out of the gate, but hopefully he gets his legs and catches up in the coming weeks.

This post has been edited by JohntheBaptist: 14 April 2005 - 12:14 AM

[scotian1]

Brandon Moss has been hot the last part of August and the early days of Sept. for the Sea Dogs, he has gone 13 for 21 in his last 5 games raising his batting average to .268. He is second on the team in homers with 16. He has 60 RBI, 30 doubles, and a Slugging Pct of .443. This has really brought him back to life as his batting ave. was in the .220s not long ago.

[SoxFan24]

His numbers are actually quite impressive when you think that he basically made the jump from Low-A to AA this year. I believe he leads the Sea Dogs in extra basehits, which is pretty impressive for a 21 year old in AA. He shouldn't have a problem getting on the 40 man roster next year.

[RedSoxAnni]

Chaz Scoggins in today's Lowell Sun:


A brand new Moss


LOWELL -- Former Lowell Spinners outfielder Brandon Moss still dreams sometimes of being a pitcher again.

...


Moss was only 19 when he played for the Spinners in 2003 and still learning the hitting trade. Although he hit only .237 in 65 games for Lowell that summer, Moss did set a Spinners record for lefthanded hitters with 26 extra-base hits and tied Paul McDaniels' club record for homers by a lefthanded hitter with seven.

He had one five-game stretch when he socked four homers and drove in 12 runs, and he finished the season with 34 RBI.

That put him on the fast track in the Red Sox organization, and he has done little to side-track himself in Portland this summer despite being one of the youngest players
in the Class AA Eastern League.

Moss was coming off a 4-for-4 night with his 16th homer when he spoke with The Sun earlier this week. But he sounded more disappointed with himself than the Red Sox probably are.

[SoxFan24]

That first lined worried me, I thought he wanted to be converted to a pitcher. :...: He has been pretty hot lately, so if he can end the season with around a .275 average, I'd consider this year a great year for him.

[WakefieldKnucklehead]

Moss has been invited to the 2005 Arizona Fall League, along with Randy Beam joining Delgado, Murphy, and Smith. Apparently there is still one open slot.


Per SoxProspects.com

This post has been edited by WakefieldKnucklehead: 21 September 2005 - 12:48 PM

[Red Sox Fan2]

If Moss plays well in the AFL than I would expect him to start next season at AA Portland.

This post has been edited by Red Sox Fan2: 21 September 2005 - 02:36 PM

[RedSoxAnni]

From the October 30, 2005 MetroWest Daily News:

Art Davidson - On Baseball: Moss a work in progress

In the first 15 games Moss has played in the AFL, he's batting .269 with one home run and four RBI for a team that is only 5-16. Because there are only six AFL teams and the emphasis isn't on winning, even standouts often have to sit out games to give others some playing time.

"I want to improve everything about my game, both offensively and defensively," said Moss.