Player Profile: Colin Moran

     The Bourne Braves will welcome back third baseman Colin Moran this year. Last year, Colin represented the West team in the Cape Cod League All-Star game. For the Braves, Moran hit .289 with 10 RBIs in 107 at-bats. In 2011 at the University of North Carolina, he led the team in on-base percentage (.442), average (.335), homers (9), and RBIs (71). His great performance in Chapel Hill earned him Baseball America First Team All-American honors, NCBWA Freshman All-American, Louisville Freshman All-American, First Team All-ACC, ACC Freshman of the Year, and Baseball America Freshman of the Year! Baseball runs in his family as his brother Brian is a pitcher with the Seattle Mariners’ AA affiliate Jackson Generals, and his Uncle B.J. Surhoff was a Major League Baseball All-Star in 1999. The 6’3” 210lb Moran, comes from Rye, New York, and was a preseason Baseball America 2nd team All-American for 2012. He was rated by  Baseball America as the top-rated Atlantic Coast Conference prospect for the 2013 amateur draft. Also, Baseball America rated him as the best pure hitter in the conference. This power-hitting corner infielder has been very impressive his entire career. However, his presence (or lack thereof) has never been noticed more than his 21-game absence from the Tarheels’ line-up. The team scored an average of 5.14 runs (down from 6.72 with Moran) and the team’s batting average was down almost 40 points. With that type of production, I am hoping he is available to the Braves for the entire season.
    I posted a video above of Colin hitting for the Braves during the 2011 season. He has a wide stance and starts his hands high. He prepares for the pitch by dropping his hands into the hitter’s slot and bringing his front leg back and places it into the same spot it began. As the pitch approaches, he shifts his weight back nicely and comes into a neutral hitting position before he starts his swing. His hips begin the swing, and his hands follow. He shows excellent mechanics for a power hitter. When he makes contact, in the video above, his hands do an excellent job of “staying inside” the baseball. I do not see where the ball lands, but by the motion and Colin’s head I believe it was to the opposite field. I hope that is something Colin does with great frequency. I am excited to see Colin this summer, and will monitor his ability to go the opposite way as I post hitting charts of every Braves hitter.