Angels Top Prospect to Open 2025 Season in Double-A

Tennessee's Christian Moore (1) celebrates while running the bases after hitting a home run during game three of the NCAA College World Series finals between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on Monday, June 24, 2024. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Los Angeles Angels have officially opened the 2025 regular season, losing to the Chicago White Sox in embarrassing 8-1 fashion.

Someone who did not begin this season in the majors is top prospect and 2024 first-round selection Christian Moore. He will start 2025 in Double-A as a member of the Rocket City Trash Pandas, per MLB.com insider Rhett Bollinger.

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Christian Moore will open at Double-A Rocket City while David Mershon will start at Triple-A Salt Lake.

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) March 27, 2025

The 22-year-old will have to wait just a little longer before making his way to the show.

This is not to say that he lacks the talent it takes to make it to the big leagues. The dynamic second baseman can also play in the corners of the outfield and impressed scouts with his bat last season in Single-A and Double-A.

Moore had a slash line of .347/.400/.584 and an OPS of .984 over his 25 games last season. This included six home runs, 20 RBIs and 35 hits.

This spring, Moore felt the learning curve of major league-caliber pitchers as his average dropped to .217 along with 18 strikeouts across 25 games.

Perhaps the Halos want to see more growth after this sample size from the phenom, but manager Ron Washington recently spoke highly on Moore.

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“We kept him around as long as we could so he can experience that high level,” Washington said of Moore's spring. “I think he understood that it’s more than just going out there and the ball coming off the bat and him catching it and throwing it somewhere. There’s decisions to be made out there, and that comes with experience and time. And I’m talking about experience of just playing. And he got that experience now we can go to his team.

"He can settle in, and he can be Christian Moore.”

The Angels know that there is more to Moore as his University of Tennessee career featured a slash line of .338/.447/.698 and an absurd OPS of 1.144.

Those three years as a Volunteer before being drafted featured 61 home runs, 160 RBIs, 212 hits, and the first National Championship in program history in his final game.

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