Colin Moran (baseball)

Colin Moran
Moran in 2015 with the Houston Astros
Houston Astros – No. 8
Third baseman
Born: (1992-10-01) October 1, 1992 Port Chester, New York
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 18, 2016, for the Houston Astros
MLB statistics (through 2016 season)
Batting average	.130
Hits	3
Home runs	0
Runs batted in	2
Teams
Houston Astros (2016–present)

Colin Richard Moran (born October 1, 1992) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Moran attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he played college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team. In his freshman season, he was named Freshman of the Year and was the only freshman named to the All-America team. After his junior year, the Miami Marlins selected Moran with the sixth overall selection of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft. They traded him to the Astros the next season. The Astros promoted Moran to the major leagues in 2016.

Amateur career

Moran attended Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, New York.^[1] Undrafted out of high school, he chose to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) to play college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).^[2] In his freshman year, he led the Tar Heels with a .335 batting average, .442 on-base percentage, .540 slugging percentage, nine home runs, 71 runs batted in and 20 doubles.^[2]

Moran was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-America team, ACC Freshman of the Year, and Baseball America Freshman of the Year.^[2][3][4] Moran was named a Baseball America All-American, the only freshman to earn the honor.^[5]

Despite an injury shortened sophomore season, Moran again led the Tar Heels with a .365 average and 35 RBI. Moran followed the injury plagued season by being selected as a second team All America by Louisville Slugger,^[6] ACC player of the year,^[7] and a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award ^[8] while setting a single season RBI record for UNC, with 86 runs batted in. Moran led the Tar Heels in 2013 with 13 home runs, along with a .544 slugging percentage, and a .470 on-base percentage.

Professional career

Moran during spring training in 2015

The Miami Marlins selected Moran in the first round, with the sixth overall selection, of the 2013 MLB Draft. Moran signed with the Marlins, receiving a $3.5 million signing bonus.^[9] He hit a home run in his first professional at bat, as a member of the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the Class A South Atlantic League.^[10][11]

Attending spring training in 2014, Moran sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He began the 2014 season on the disabled list ^[12] before being assigned to the Marlins' Class A Advanced affiliate Jupiter Hammerheads, in the Florida State League. On July 31, 2014, the Marlins traded Moran, Jake Marisnick, Francis Martes, and a compensatory draft pick to the Houston Astros for Jarred Cosart, Enrique Hernández, and Austin Wates.^[13] The Astros assigned Moran to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League.^[14]

The Astros invited Moran to spring training in 2015.^[15] While playing for Corpus Christi in May 2015, a throw hit Moran in the face that fractured his jaw, requiring surgery.^[16][17]

Moran opened the 2016 season with the Fresno Grizzlies of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.^[18] The Astros promoted him to the major leagues on May 17.^[19]

Personal life

Moran's brother, Brian Moran, is a professional baseball pitcher. His uncles, Rick and B. J. Surhoff, played in Major League Baseball.^[2]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Colin Moran.

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• North Carolina bio