DANIEL MOSKOS

4/28/86; '07 1st; Clemson Univ.
R/L; 6-1, 200

Level

W-L-Sv

BB/9

K/9

WHIP

OAVG

ERA

2005 NCAA

2-2-0

16.2

7.02

8.10

2.22

.338

5.40

2006 NCAA

5-5-10

53.2

3.52

9.06

1.21

.238

2.52

2007 NCAA

3-5-6

74.1

3.74

8.85

1.42

.261

2.91

2007 A-

0-0-1

12.2

4.27

9.24

1.97

.328

4.26

2007 R

0-0-0

3.0

0.00

9.00

1.33

.333

0.00

2008 A+

7-7-0

110.1

124

3.51

6.36

1.51

.284

5.95

The Pirates selected Moskos with the fourth pick in the 2007 draft. Although Baseball America rated him as the 8th best player in the draft, there were better players available, including several potential impact hitters. The Pirates, however, were unwilling to pay the money needed to acquire Scott Boras client Matt Wieters and for some reason they passed over hitters like Jason Heyward and Beau Mills. Instead, they fell back on their default choice of college pitching. Moskos signed in mid-July for $2.475M.

Moskos' high rating by BA and other observers is a little puzzling. He was Clemson's closer in 2006, but converted to starting partway into the 2007 season. He threw in the low- to mid-90s with a lot of life as a closer, but only 89-92 when starting, and by the end of the season he was down in the high 80s. This should be of concern to the Pirates, because the pitchers they draft have a pattern of losing velocity after turning pro. Moskos supposedly had a very good slider that served as his out pitch, along with a curve and change that were not as well regarded. BA described his command as average. He has a high-effort delivery and little projection, so by the time he was drafted he was probably about as good as he's going to get. His college numbers were good but not overwhelming; for one thing, he allowed far more baserunners than the typical dominating college hurler, especially one pitching mainly in relief. As a starter, scouts projected him in the middle, not the front, of the rotation. Many observers thought he'd return to the bullpen as a pro and, in fact, the Pirates said after the draft that he'd be a closer. It's difficult not to draw the conclusion that, aside from money, the Pirates were influenced by two other factors in making the pick: Salomon Torres' struggles as closer shortly before the draft and the desire to get bullpen help for 2008, when they figured to be trying to avoid tying the record for consecutive losing seasons. If so, the selection belied former GM Dave Littlefield's statement, made shortly before the draft, that the team would take the best player available regardless of specific needs.

As if the questionable ceiling wasn't enough, Moskos has to face the ominous prospect of being a first round Pirates' pitcher. The Pirates have selected pitchers first seven times in the last nine years. Five of the seven saw their careers derailed by major arm surgery and one other went nowhere due to arm problems and poor command. Two of the seven were relievers in college yet still ran into major health problems as pros, so the fact that Moskos has less wear than some college pitchers does little to reduce the risk factor. His high effort delivery also contributes to the injury risk. For all kinds of reasons, this was a baffling and frustrating selection. It also created a furor among Pirate fans that seemed to catch management off guard. In fact, the best thing that could be said about the selection is that the resulting, and justified, criticism probably contributed to Littlefield's long overdue firing.

Moskos' performance since signing hasn't done anything to quell the uproar. In 2007, after a couple warmup outings in the GCL, he went to State College and pitched poorly. A .328 opponents' BA in short season ball is not exactly what people expect from a guy taken fourth overall from a very strong draft pool. By contrast, Casey Weathers, a college closer selected eighth overall, went to full-season ball and held opponents to a .122 BA while fanning 21 in 14.2 IP. There were conflicting reports about Moskos' velocity, but most indicated it got into the low 90s at least some of the time. He did fare better in his last four outings, allowing three hits, two walks and no runs over four innings.

Moskos started 2008 in the Lynchburg rotation, as the new management has determined that pitching prospects should at least initally be brought along as starters to get the increased work. Unfortunately, Moskos showed nothing to justify a first round selection. He pitched poorly from the start, getting hit hard, struggling at times with his control, and posting a K rate far below league average. He actually regressed over time, culminating in a horrid July with an ERA of 11.81 and more walks than strikeouts. The Pirates blamed fatigue for the July collapse, but he wasn't pitching well even before then. Moskos' offerings left scouts thoroughly unimpressed, as his fastball was generally only in the high 80s. I saw him pitch twice and, apart from a merely decent fastball that he didn't command well, didn't see anything remotely resembling the wipeout slider he supposedly possesses. Scouts also questioned his conditioning. The only positives were that he pitched better after the Pirates moved him to the bullpen in August, posting a 2.61 ERA and fanning 20 in 20.2 IP, with 17 hits allowed. For the year, his problems came mostly against RHP hitters, as he was effective against LH hitters. He also had a high groundout to air out ratio of 1.89. It's very hard to see him as more than a LH setup man at this point, although the Pirates will probably try him as a starter again in 2009, most likely at Altoona.

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