His First Home Run Down, Moya Ready To Break Out In Detroit
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Steven Moya is used to uncorking his powerful left-handed swing and watching the ball sail out of the yard. So after enduring more than 70 at-bats in the Majors without a home run, he was jubilant to finally get on the board Sunday afternoon against the Royals.
"It was great, unbelievable," Moya said of launching his first long-ball. "It's an impossible feeling to describe."
A cliché, perhaps, but also the truth.
"I was sorry that we couldn't win," he added, ensuring to keep track of the team's goals amidst his own accomplishment. "I would've felt better if we had won. But I was happy still that I got that home run out of the way, that first one."
Now, with a burden off his shoulders, Moya can go about adding to his total. His offensive contributions are expected as much as they're needed for the Tigers, who are counting on the 24-year-old to fill the void left by J.D. Martinez.
Martinez, who will miss four to six weeks with a broken elbow, was hitting .286 with an .878 OPS and 12 home runs at the time of his injury. Moya more than matched those numbers with Triple-A Toledo, posting a .298 average, .896 OPS and 13 homers. Those statistics aren't created equally, of course, but Moya certainly has the raw power to thrive in Martinez' absence.
Coming up through the Tigers' system, the book on Moya was big-league power undermined by a high propensity for strikeouts. That's more or less held true over the years, although the hulking outfielder made strides in cutting back the whiffs this season in Toledo, reducing his strikeout rate to 22 percent (Martinez, by comparison, was at 27 percent). What's more, his uptick in contact hasn't been offset by a drop in power -- Moya's 13 home runs led the International League at the time of his call-up.
One player who has tracked Moya's growth since he made his MLB debut in 2014 is Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera, a guy who knows a thing or two about hitting, was complimentary of Moya's work ethic at the plate.
"I've been seeing Moya for a lot of years. He's a guy that works hard to get better and we've been seeing that for a long time. His approach has improved a lot," Cabrera said.
Moya batted seventh for the Tigers in three games in Kansas City, and that's where he'll bat Monday against the Mariners. Theoretically, that takes some of the pressure off of him to produce big-time numbers, especially in a lineup featuring Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Nick Castellanos and Ian Kinsler. By the same token, what a threat he could be at that spot in the order.
Asked to name his biggest strength as a hitter, Moya was shy. But he echoed Cabrera's sentiment regarding his steady improvement.
"What can I say? I don't like talking about things I can or can't do. I've been getting better through the years and one thing I have to develop still is to strengthen a little bit more.
"But when I get my pitches," he added, "I can drive the ball far."
He certainly proved that on Sunday, when he smacked an up-and-in fastball over the Tigers' bullpen and deep into the right field seats. So is that his favorite pitch to hit?
"I don't really have a favorite. As soon as I see it's a strike," Moya smiled, "I'm swinging."
