Power-hitting catcher Malcolm Moore heads to Frisco after dominating High-A with a .929 OPS. The Texas Rangers' 2024 first-round pick now faces his toughest defensive and offensive challenge yet.
The Texas Rangers made a move on the morning of Tuesday, June 16.
Ahead of an early afternoon game for the Frisco Roughriders, Malcolm Moore has been promoted to Double-A.
Moore, 22, was the team's No. 30 overall pick back in 2024. He's racked up 502 minor-league at-bats thus far, 190 of which came in A+ this season.
Officially, Moore is the team's No. 18 ranked prospect. MLB Pipeline gives him an overall grade of 40. His highest individual ranking was a score of 50 for his power.
Moore's Next Challenge
Looking at his power grade, it comes as no surprise the lefty smashed 10 homers already in A+ this season. All but six of his minor-league homers came in 2026, an incredible feat for someone as new to the minors as he is.
All things considered, 502 at-bats is no small sample size. All but 14 of those came in A+, but now there are plenty of new challenges to await the California native.
Catching wise, Moore is the team's best option. The 17 players ranked ahead of him all either are pitchers or play in the infield/outfield. Not only that, but not even any of the 12 players ranked below him in the Rangers' Top 30 are catchers.
Scouting wise, Moore has a 45 grade for both his arm and fielding. Those are each higher than his overall ranking, something that has been severely dragged down by his 30 grade for running. Shockingly, he does have eight career stolen bases, though none of those are from this season.
Bye Bye Hub City
The Spartanburgers will certainly miss Moore, but this promotion is one some would argue is long overdue. Frisco will give Moore a chance to not only improve defensively, but also show what kind of power he truly has at the plate.
With an ETA of 2028, it's not like this organization is in any rush. Catcher prospects are always extremely hard to come by, so they want to make sure they get it right, especially since none of their other top prospects play the position.
Moore's path to the majors is a bit foggy at this point, but his power should be the thing that gets him there. Overall, he slashed .300/.387/.542 this year with an OPS of .929, a number that is easily the best of his young career. For reference, his average thus far is .726. Clearly, he's ready for this jump.
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