Gabriel Moreno Is Peaking at the Right Time

Gabriel Moreno is one of several exciting and talented young backstops in the big leagues (and these playoffs). After coming to Arizona with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in exchange for Daulton Varsho, he got the opportunity to be the primary catcher and show off the skills he displayed in the minor leagues. He made an immediate defensive impact despite his offensive struggles in the beginning of the season; when the league was running wild in the spring, he was prepared, throwing guys out left and right. But his bat took a second to come around, likely due to ongoing discomfort in his lead shoulder. He eventually made a trip to the injured list, but when he returned, he looked as healthy as can be, posting a 141 wRC+ in the second half and playing excellent defense.

During the Diamondbacks’ improbable run and five-game postseason win streak, there is no question that Corbin Carroll has been their best player. But when you sweep a team that finished with 16 more wins in the regular season, you’re going to need more help, and Moreno has been a formidable co-star. He’s continued his hot streak to close the season into October. With more health, his row and barrel tip have gotten looser and turned his ability to make consistent hard contact into loud home runs in timely situations. He only had seven in the regular season across 380 plate appearances, but his launch angle distribution improved dramatically when he got healthy:

All this to say, it’s not shocking to see him take swings like his 419-foot home run against Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the NLDS — a swing that came on the tail end of an impressive at-bat.

While it was clear that Kershaw didn’t have his best stuff that night, he still got ahead of Moreno, 0–2. But even as a rookie going against a legend in a huge spot, Moreno remained poised. He didn’t chase or try to do too much; in fact, he made a great pitch-to-pitch adjustment. Let’s fast forward to the last three pitches of the at-bat:

Pitch 5 (2-2 count, four-seamer)

Pitch 6 (2-2 count, curveball)

Pitch 7 (3-2 count, slider)

Moreno was beat on the 2–2 heater; it may have only been 91 mph, but it got on him fast. He wasn’t on time for Kershaw’s slide step delivery and had to rush to get his hands loaded. As a hitter, you have to be on time at the pitcher’s release and as the ball is about to enter the hitting zone. That’s where Moreno’s 81st-percentile whiff rate comes into play. He wasn’t on time at either point but still managed to fight the pitch off after recognizing he needed to speed his hands up. During the regular season, he whiffed on a single four-seamer at or below 91 mph out of the 185 swings taken. His knack for contact allows him a tiny bit more time to decide on a swing and not chase curveballs like the one he saw in the 2–2 count.

Only a small adjustment for timing was needed. At release in the 3–2 count, Moreno already had his foot up earlier and sped up his legs. That put him in a better position to hit than the previous pitches in the at-bat, and Kershaw helped him out by throwing a slightly slower pitch breaking over the middle of the plate. It was the perfect recipe for Moreno to beat the plane of the slider and get some lift in his barrel.

On the defensive side of the ball, Moreno has been just as good. He’s blocked 22 pitches, stolen eight strikes, and has kept the running game nearly silent. As Jordan Shusterman noted in his pre-NLCS profile of Moreno, the backstop was elite behind the plate all year in terms of blocking and controlling the running game. According to Statcast, his blocking in the regular season was in the 94th percentile. His body control and athleticism make blocking like breathing for him. His catcher throwing was in the 100th percentile because of his rapid fire exchange and accuracy. But Moreno’s framing was lower than you would expect for somebody with his skill level (34th percentile).

From a visual perspective, Moreno is athletic, has soft hands, and starts his glove in a good position to stay under balls at the bottom of the zone — the most important framing zone. If I had to guess, his left shoulder injury impacted his ability to move his glove smoothly to different lateral and vertical locations. His only two zones that were above average were Statcast’s Zones 18 and 19 — middle-low and glove-side low. But in the series against the Dodgers, he stole pitches up in the zone like these two:

As well as low and on his glove side, like this backwards K from Merrill Kelly:

On this pitch in particular, you can see how he starts his glove below the zone and works up and through the ball. In the middle area and away from his body, this movement is easier and less shoulder reliant. But on the glove side, the shoulder serves as the anchor, because a catcher wants to conceal any obvious movements. From the broadcast perspective, you might think Moreno is moving his glove a lot and over-framing. But from the umpire’s perspective, this happens so quickly; he is tracking the ball, not how Moreno’s arm is moving up and through it. It might not be something he can steal over and over again, but with Kelly painting that spot, it made it easier on Moreno to anticipate an opportunity to guide the ball into the zone.

For some additional final musings, here is a perfectly executed frame on a backdoor sinker against Mookie Betts:

The beauty of working with pitchers who can dot is that you can position your body to deceive the umpire. Moreno knows he can handle this backdoor pitch with ease, and by setting up closer to the middle of the plate than off the corner, the umpire sees this as within his natural receiving area. His one knee down approach makes his body seem wide, and though he receives the ball closer to his leg, he’s able to guide it back to the midpoint of his body. His elbow is stable the entire time; he doesn’t look like he is reaching far from his center. It’s incredible glove work, but also great body awareness.

Moreno is settling in quickly and making a compelling case for stardom. His offensive performance in the postseason is great for any player, not just a catcher. As Shusterman pointed out, he has been moved up the five hole for the playoffs after not appearing that high in the lineup once in the regular season. With his framing catching up to the rest of catching game, he looks like one of the most complete catchers in the bigs.

Moreno has raised the true talent level for this Diamondbacks team. If they are to challenge Philadelphia for the National League crown, he’ll have to continue his offensive breakout against the quality arms in the rotation and a high-octane bullpen. But one thing is for sure: the Phillies might have to rethink their playoff trend of running wild with Moreno behind the dish.