Mike Moustakas: Why He's Ready to Be MLB's Next Premier 3rd Baseman

Last season, Mike Moustakas joined the Royals as part of their wave of the future, making his debut nearly a month after teammate Eric Hosmer was recalled from the minors. 

Considered a top prospect for the most of his minor league career, Moustakas posted gaudy numbers prior to his arrival in the Show.

In 2010, the left-handed hitting third baseman batted .322/.369/.630 over 534 plate appearances between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. In 118 games, he amassed 41 doubles while swatting 36 long balls and driving in 124 runs.

The following season, Moustakas batted .287/.347/.498 with 26 extra-base hits and 44 RBI in 55 games before he was recalled by the Royals.

Regarded as a notoriously slow starter throughout his nascent career, Moustakas furthered the trend over the first few months of his Major League career in 2011.

In his first month in the majors, he batted .263/.354/.316 with only one home run and RBI in 15 games. In the following month, July, Moustakas was even less productive, as he batted .160/.198/.223 with six doubles and nine RBI.

He showed a more consistent bat in August (.283/.324/.343), however, he still lacked the power that the Royals expected (six doubles, eight RBI) given his minor league resume.

But then, as it seems is always the case with Moustakas, he caught fire in September, batting .352/.380/.580 with 11 extra-base hits and 11 RBI in only 88 at-bats.

Headed into the 2012 season, everyone was expecting another slow start from Moose. However, he has surprisingly picked up where he left off at the end of the 2011 season, as he entered Wednesday batting .312/.369/.519 with a .208 ISO and 148 wRC+.

And after posing a 0.7 fWAR in 365 plate appearances last season, Moustakas has proven to be the Royals’ most valuable offensive chip by registering a 1.3 fWAR through the first month of the season.

So, is Mike Moustakas for real? Can he continue to produce at his current rate?

The answer is simple: yes.

However, it’s unrealistic that Moustakas will sustain his current .312 batting average after posting only one .300 season in his minor league career—he batted .347 in 298 plate appearances at Double-A in 2010.

His current batting average on balls in play stands at .356, so naturally that leaves room for regression.  But the power he’s exhibited to begin the season is in line with Moustakas' typical production, and there’s room for growth.

As Moustakas becomes more acclimated to the league and pitching, he should continue to make significant strides at the plate. Sure, he’ll inevitably struggle at times and have bouts where he strikes out more than he should, but the fact that he’s already made such noticeable improvements suggests that 2012 will be Moustakas’s breakout campaign.

Will he be a superstar? It’s hard to stay. But I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with believing that Moustakas will make a few All-Star teams over the course of his career, as well as enjoy multiple 30-home run seasons. 

Regardless of how his career may play out, he’s off to uncharacteristic hot start to begin the 2012 season, and has the potential to assert himself as one of the premier third basemen in all of baseball by the end of the year.