Angels 2024 First-Round Pick Making Serious Push to Crack Opening Day Roster

Christian Moore is turning heads at Los Angeles Angels spring training and he's making a serious push to break camp on the big league roster.

Less than a year ago, Moore was still playing collegiately at the University of Tennesee.

“Christian Moore, in some ways, is the talk of camp for the Los Angeles Angels," Jon Morosi said Monday on MLB Network. "Really impressing manager Ron Washington. There is some conversation that he is going to get a look at third base in addition to second base.”

"Christian Moore in some ways is the talk of camp for the Los Angeles Angels."@jonmorosi says the No. 8 pick in the 2024 Draft could crack the Angels' Opening Day roster. pic.twitter.com/2vCCz1n2ly
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 24, 2025

The Angels have never shied away from promoting talented youth. Moore was selected No. 8 overall in last year's draft and is on a similar trajectory as several of the Angels starters like Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel.

Angels beat writer Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com even projected Moore cracking the Opening Day roster as a dark horse.

"Moore was the No. 8 overall pick in last year’s Draft and dominated at Double-A Rocket City, nearly earning a callup last September, only to tweak his knee," Bollinger wrote. "But Moore, ranked as the No. 68 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, is competing for the starting job at second base with Luis Rengifo. If Moore has a strong spring, he could crack the Opening Day roster."

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Moore, however, isn't thinking about whether he will be in a big league stadium on Opening Day or in the minors.

“I'm not even worried about making the team right now,” Moore said. “Obviously, you want to because you're here, but right now I'm worried about getting ready for the season, getting my mind right, getting my body right and learning how to become a Major League Baseball player.”

Moore made a strong first impression in his pro debut last season, batting .347 with a .984 OPS and six home runs over 25 minor league games, 23 of which were at Double-A. However, most of his production came early — he hit all six homers in his first nine games while posting a .556 average before cooling off to .231 over the final 16 games.

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The infielder doesn't care where the Angels play him defensively, he's just thankful for the opportunity.

“I'm worried about one day at a time,” Moore said. “I don't make decisions, I just play baseball. I'm just here trying to learn from guys like Neto, guys like Schanuel and guys like Trout, because this is a dream come true for me, getting to be in his locker room.”

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.