Back again, Moses focused on task

By Ken Lipshez
New Britain Herald Press

NORWICH - A brief, isolated thunder shower dampened the turf at Dodd Stadium Friday afternoon forcing the Connecticut Defenders to cover the infield and cancel batting practice.

Third baseman Matt Moses, the Minnesota Twins' first-round choice (21st overall) in the June 2003 draft, arrived in New Britain during Thursday night's game.

He looked considerably different than the Matt Moses who departed New Britain last September. The doughy features that encased his torso were gone. No explanation was needed to recognize that he spent the winter pumping weights and refusing second helpings.

He started the season with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings but things didn't work out to his satisfaction. In 174 at-bats, his batting average was .224. His picturesque and powerful left-handed swing produced just two homers and 18 RBI. He made 10 errors in 48 games. Internet scuttlebutt and press box chatter suggested he would be sent down. It happened Wednesday.

With the Dodd diamond off limits, Moses scooped up his bats and jogged down to the Defenders' beautiful indoor batting cage. There was determination in his gait.

Matt Moses is back in the Eastern League for the third straight year, this time coping with his first demotion in a quest to fulfill the promise that the Twins, scouts and fans possess for players with his pedigree.

Moses remains optimistic. He knows he has to if he is to successfully navigate the mental rapids that professional baseball can pose.

He has to trot out to third base every day and take grounders to improve his defense. He has to take as many swings in the batting cage as the coaching staff has time to give him. He's ready.

"When I got the news that I was getting sent down, I was a little depressed," Moses said. "Obviously, no one wants to get sent down but at the same time, I was thinking, what am I going to do tomorrow to get ready to perform, help (the Rock Cats) out and get back up there."

The sweet swing is there in all its elegance and majesty. He rifled manager Riccardo Ingram's deliveries into the upper reaches of the net with a flick of his strong wrists. His batting average was .000 and he was anxious to prove that he has outgrown Double-A. He purged any memories of his humbling International League experience from his mind.

"I don't evaluate it at all," he said. "It's out of my hands whether I go up again or not when it comes to the front office and all that. All I control is how I play on the field - my preparation - and let everything else take care of itself."

Moses spent the entire 2006 season with an underachieving New Britain team that finished last in the Northern Division. He played in 125 games, batted .249, slugged 15 homers and drove in 82 runs. His 35 walks and 113 strikeouts indicated that he could have been more patient and selective at the plate. It helped motivate him as he prepared for 2007.

"I lost a lot of weight," he said. "I thought I was in pretty good shape. I had an alright spring. I started out in Triple A and didn't do too well so I'm coming down here to see if I can help this team out."

He's got some big shoes to fill. Brian Buscher, a Rule 5 acquisition from the Giants' organization who ironically spent 2006 with the Defenders, was the Rock Cats' foundation for the first 2 months. His bat produced clutch hits. His quiet clubhouse demeanor seemed to seep through the team with a stabilizing effect.

Moses, although he's just 22-years-old, will be perceived by teammates and the coaching staff as the leader his predecessor was, whether he wants that kind of responsibility or not. The past, he hopes, is prologue to a resurgence that will serve as a footnote in a successful career. His springtime promotion to Triple A means little now.

"Each day, you go in the clubhouse and hope that your name is on the Triple-A list," he recalled. "It was for me, and it was a good feeling but at the same time, I knew that wasn't the ending point. I needed to keep going.

"My goal is to get to the big leagues this year just like everybody else. Getting sent down to Double A is not the end of the world. It's just a wake-up call and I'm down here to do a job."

The Twins' track report of plucking successful Rock Cats from the fields of the Eastern League to the heat of the American League pennant race is well-documented. Michael Cuddyer made the leap. So did Dustan Mohr and Joe Mauer.

Can Moses do it? Nick Punto is struggling and even at his best, doesn't truly fit the profile of a third baseman as a hitter who can consistently pepper the baggy that stretches out beyond the right-field wall. Moses has that potential, and whether or not he fills it will be one of the more dramatic undercurrents for Eastern League fans to witness during the summer of 2007.v