Miracle 3B Moses hot at the plate

Was limited last year due to back, other injuries

By David Dorsey
Fort Myers News Press

Matt Moses has been making major strides as a hitter for the Fort Myers Miracle.

The third baseman for the Class A minor-league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins entered Friday with a .403 batting average (27-of-67) with four home runs and 19 RBI.

"From a fan's perspective, it's really spectacular how he's hitting the baseball," Miracle manager Riccardo Ingram said. "The ball is jumping off his bat. It seems like every game, he's not going to have more than one bad at-bat. That's something to watch when a guy's on a tear like this."

The Miracle return from a nine-game road trip at 7:05 tonight at the Lee County Sports Complex, where they will face the Lakeland Tigers.

"I'm feeling pretty good right now," said Moses, a first-round draft pick by the Twins in June 2003.

Moses, who turned professional out of Mills Godwin (Va.) High School, was limited to a .223 batting average in 29 games last season because of a strained lower back among other injuries.

"I go to the plate with the same plan every time," Moses said. "The preparation before the game is crucial. Baseball players are pretty superstitious. Right now, I'll try to do the same things every day to get loose and get ready to play."

So far, Moses has put up numbers that compare to former Miracle player and record-holder Tommy Peterman.

Although Peterman never reached the big leagues, he still holds the Miracle's single-season record for hits. He had 162 hits, including 20 home runs, in 1998.

Through his first 18 games in 1998, Peterman had a .500 batting average (36-for-72) with seven home runs and 28 RBI.

When told of Peterman's numbers, Moses acknowledged they were solid.

But he said he has no aspirations to set any team records.

"To tell you the truth, no, not really," Moses said of breaking records. "There's only one goal in the minor leagues, and that's to get to the bigs.

"It's a great day at the ballpark whenever you're wearing a uniform."

Ingram said he'll enjoy Moses' high average while he can.

"He's not going to hit .450 for the duration of the season," Ingram said. "Baseball has a way of somehow leveling out. A banner year would be around .300, but it's good to get off to a hot start.

"I'll tell you what, we're going to ride this hot streak for as long as it lasts."