‘He’s willing to do anything he can to help this team win,’ Royals Manager Ned Yost on Mike Moustakas
The eyes have it.
That’s what strikes Tom Meusborn, long-time baseball coach at Chatsworth High, as he watches replays of Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas diving into a dugout suite to make a spectacular catch of a foul popup in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series in Kauffman Stadium last week.
It’s not the way Moustakas sprints to the warning track to position himself for what may be the best defensive play of a postseason filled with web gems.
Or how Moustakas uses the railing to launch his body skyward, thrusts his glove up and behind him and grabs the ball before falling into a safety net of Royals fans who prevent him from going face-first into a concrete floor.
“It’s the look on his face,” Meusborn said. “Just watching him, you knew he had a chance. He was determined to catch that ball, and he didn’t care what it took. That’s something I saw here on a daily basis, that energy, that passion, that constant determination.
“There was never a play, a day, or a game where Mike went through the motions. He doesn’t have that kind of makeup. You know he’s going over there to make that play, with no regard to his body.”
The Royals open the World Series against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night in Kansas City, their classic fall culminating with their first Series appearance since 1985. Moustakas, 26, is a big reason why they’re in it.
His 11th-inning home run in Angel Stadium gave the Royals a 3-2 victory over the Angels in a division series opener and he hit a home run in Kansas City’s 8-3 series clincher.
Moustakas’ two-run home run capped a three-run 10th inning that gave the Royals an 8-6 victory over Baltimore in the ALCS opener. He hit a tie-breaking shot in the fourth inning of Game 2 and dropped a key sacrifice bunt in a two-run ninth that pushed Kansas City toward a 6-4 victory.
Moustakas shined with his glove in Game 3, making a diving catch of Steve Pearce’s liner to open the fourth inning and his highlight-reel grab of Adam Jones’ wind-blown pop up in the dugout suite to start the sixth.
“That’s one of the best catches I’ve ever seen in baseball, ever,” Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar told reporters. “Unbelievable play. Wow.”
The plays helped deflate the Orioles, who were swept in four games, and boost the confidence of Royals pitchers.
“People don’t understand how important it is for a pitcher to get that first out,” Royals Manager Ned Yost said. “To have plays like that is huge. That turns around the entire inning.”
Moustakas was happy to emerge from the suite intact.
“Those people helped me up the entire way, they didn’t let me fall, and they kind of lifted me up out of there,” Moustakas said. “It was pretty awesome.”
That Moustakas has contributed to the Royals’ magical run with his bat and glove, with long balls and small ball, comes as no surprise to his high school coach.
Moustakas hit a state-record 52 home runs and helped Chatsworth win two Los Angeles City Section titles from 2004 to 2007, but, Meusborn said, “He doesn’t see himself as a guy who’s just going to hit the ball out of the park. He’s going to make the plays at third, get a bunt down if he needs to.
“Mike takes pride in being a complete player, and it shows. This time of year, it’s win or go home.”
Moustakas had the same approach at Chatsworth despite his superior ability, which made him the second overall pick of the 2007 draft and got him a $4-million signing bonus with the Royals.
Moustakas, who hit .577 with 24 home runs and 59 runs batted in as a senior, was a four-year varsity starter at shortstop. To his right all those years was Matt Dominguez, the current Houston Astros third baseman who was the 12th overall pick, by Florida, in 2007.
Moustakas and Dominguez are the highest two picks from the same high school in the same year since the draft began in 1965. The Chancellors finished 30-4 that season and won the City Section championship.
“When scouts came to watch them practice and play, they didn’t go harder or try to put on a show — they stayed focused on doing things the right way,” Meusborn said. “That team was pretty special, really talented, but it was also a real selfless group.”
So are these Royals, who staged a miraculous comeback to beat the Oakland Athletics in the wild-card game and have ridden their hero-a-night theme to an 8-0 postseason record.
“I think that’s the cool part of this run,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “Everyone’s had their moment when they stepped up and did something big. Most of the time it was with our season on the line.”
Moustakas, Hosmer, left fielder Alex Gordon and designated hitter Billy Butler were first-round picks and form the core of a lineup that has helped propel Kansas City from AL doormat to pennant winner, but there was some question in May whether Moustakas would be along for the ride.
Moustakas opened his fourth big league season with a .152 average in 40 games and was demoted to triple-A Omaha on May 22.
“The last two springs, he was the best player in baseball … then the season would start and he’d start pressing from the get-go,” Yost said. “He takes a lot of pride in his play, and when he looks up and sees he’s hitting .150, it gets to him. Then he tries that much harder. It was a cycle.”
Two weeks in the minor leagues eased the pressure on Moustakas, who was recalled in early June. Though he finished with a .212 average, 15 home runs and 54 RBIs, Moustakas got hot at the right time.
“All of a sudden, the playoffs start, and it’s not about the average anymore, it’s about winning a game,” Yost said. “It’s freed him up to play his game. He’s doing everything — playing a great third base, hitting huge home runs, bunting when we need it. He’s willing to do anything he can to help this team win.”
Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times
