Raised Royal but now on the Crew.
When third baseman Mike Moustakas was traded to Milwaukee over the weekend, he joined a long list of players who once suited up for the Kansas City Royals but now find themselves at Miller Park.
That list includes Joakim Soria, Erik Kratz, Manny Pina, Jeremy Jeffress and -- of course -- Lorenzo Cain, who Moustakas won a World Series title with in 2015.
Milwaukee’s front office certainly thinks the former Royals duo have that October prominence the Brewers need to snap their six-year postseason drought.
But who is the newest addition to the Crew?
Let’s dig in:
ON THE FIELD
-- Moustakas played just 27 games in 2016 after suffered a knee injury ended his season in May, but the third baseman rallied for a career year in 2017. A .272/.314/521 slash line and career-best 38 homers were enough to take home the 2017 AL Comeback Player of the Year award.
-- He’s started 858 career games at third base, as well as 34 contests at designated hitter and four at first base.
-- Moustakas has hit two home runs in four career games at Miller Park.
-- During the 2015 World Series, Moustakas went 7-for-23 with one run scored, three RBI and one walk.
-- His iconic moment in the field came in Game 3 of the 2015 ALCS when he dove into the stands at Kauffman Stadium to catch an Adam Jones foul ball.
-- Down 6-2 to Houston in the eighth inning of a 2015 ALDS elimination game, the Royals were in trouble. But Moustakas was there to rally his teammates, shouting in the dugout to inspire a comeback. It worked. Kansas City went on to score five runs in the eighth and win 9-6 to keep its season alive.
-- One time he was beaned in the face by Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale but somehow remained in the game.
OFF THE FIELD
-- Twitter handle: @Mooose_8
-- Instagram handle: moosetacos8
-- Nickname: Moose. It’s a nickname fans will get used to around Miller Park, and certainly a nickname Moustakas is fond of.
-- As part of their All-Star voting campaign for Jose Ramirez this summer, the Cleveland Indians tweeted out a humorous spoof on a political advertisement, claiming fans should vote for Ramirez because “Mike Moustakas hates puppies.” Brewers fans will be pleased to know Moose actually loves puppies. A lot.
-- Selected second overall in the 2007 MLB draft, Moose chose baseball over school. Why? He saw the classes he was signed up to take in college. “I wasn’t going to pass any of them,” he told the Kansas City Star. “After that I would have signed for a bus ticket and a warm Pepsi.”
