Mitchell Austin Moreland (born September 6, 1985), nicknamed "2-Bags", is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

who is a free agent. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Texas Rangers,

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. Moreland attended

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

and was drafted by the Rangers as a

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

in the 17th round of the 2007 MLB draft. Listed at and , Moreland both bats and throws left-handed.

Amateur career

Born and raised in Amory, Mississippi, Moreland attended Amory High School, where he competed in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

. At Amory, he was a 2004

Louisville Slugger Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n after posting a 7–1

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

with a 0.53

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) as a senior, while also

batting Batting may refer to: * Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs * Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...

.456 and

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...

just three times during the season. While in high school, he played on the same team as

Derek Norris Derek Russell Norris (born February 14, 1989) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Rays. Prior to playing professionally, Norris a ...

. After high school, Moreland attended

to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Sports sp ...

. There, he hit .343 with ten

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s his junior season and went 2–0 on the mound with a 3.46 ERA. He also earned a degree in general business administration. In 2006 and 2007, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Bourne Braves The Bourne Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bourne, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Braves play their home games at Doran Park on the ca ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

Professional career

Minor leagues

The Texas Rangers selected Moreland in the 17th round of the

2007 Major League Baseball draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the f ...

. After he signed, Moreland began his professional career with the

short-season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

of the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Basebal ...

. He batted .259 with 28 hits, seven doubles, one

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

, two home runs and 15

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs). The following season, Moreland joined the Class-A

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

and hit .324 with 37 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs, 99 RBIs and two stolen bases. He was named to the Mid-Season Midwest League All-Star Team on June 17 and the Post-Season Midwest League All-Star Team on August 26. Moreland played in two different levels of the Rangers' organization in 2009. He started the season with the Class-A Advanced

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facin ...

and hit .341 with 19 doubles, eight home runs and 26 RBIs. He was promoted to the Double-A

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are named for the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regime ...

where he batted .326 with 19 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 59 RBIs. Moreland was assigned to the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

at the end of the season and played for the Surprise Rafters. He was named the "

Tom Grieve Thomas Alan Grieve (born March 4, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1979 for the Washington Senators / Texas Rangers, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. He was nicknam ...

Minor League Player of the Year" by the Texas Rangers after the season. The Rangers invited Moreland to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

in 2010. Moreland played with the

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

(AAA) in the 2010 season until July 29. As of July 29, he had a season batting average of .289 with the RedHawks.

Texas Rangers

2010

On July 29, 2010, Moreland was called up by the Rangers to take the roster spot of

Ian Kinsler Ian Michael Kinsler ( he, איאן קינסלר; born June 22, 1982) is an American-Israeli former professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for ...

, who was put on the disabled list. Moreland had his first major league hit in his first at-bat, a single against

pitcher

Vin Mazzaro Vincent Michael "Vin" Mazzaro (born September 27, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Sussex County Miners of the Frontier League. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, Pitt ...

. Moreland finished the game 2-for-4, with two singles, as the Rangers won 7–4. On August 13, Moreland had the first

of his major league career, off of

Josh Beckett Joshua Patrick Beckett (born May 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A three-time MLB All-Star, he played for the Florida Marlins, the Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. After ...

the Red Sox. On September 26, Moreland had his first multi-home run game of his major league career, hitting his sixth and seventh home runs of the year, in a 16–9 win over the

. During the regular season, Moreland played in 47 games, batting .255 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs. On October 30, Moreland hit a second inning, three-run home run off of

Jonathan Sánchez Jonathan Omar Sánchez (born November 19, 1982), nicknamed "The Kid" and "The Comeback Kid", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He is one of only three Puerto Rican players to throw a no-hitter game in MLB, the others bein ...

to put the Rangers ahead 3–0 in Game 3 of the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

. He was the first Rangers player in the Series to hit a home run. The Rangers eventually lost to the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

in five games.

2011

On June 21, 2011, Moreland hit his first career

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will no ...

off of Enerio Del Rosario of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

. For the 2011 season, Moreland batted .259 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs in 134 games played. The Rangers were in the

for the second season in a row; Moreland had one home run during the Series against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, which the Rangers lost in seven games.

2012

On June 9, 2012, Moreland became only the second

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

batter— David Ortiz being the first—to hit a home run ball into

AT&T Park Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...

McCovey Cove McCovey Cove is the unofficial name of a section of San Francisco Bay beyond the right field wall of Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, named after famed Giants first baseman Willie McCovey. The proper name for the cove is China Bas ...

. Moreland's 428-foot, 8th-inning blast off Giants pitcher

Ryan Vogelsong Ryan Andrew Vogelsong (born July 22, 1977), nicknamed "Vogey", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates and in Nippon Professional Baseball (N ...

was also the first

pinch hit In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, Americ ...

home run hit into the Cove by any non-Giants player. During the 2012 season, Moreland batted .275 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs in 114 games played.

2013

Moreland batted a career-low .232 during the 2013 season, with 23 home runs and 60 RBIs in 147 games played.

2014

On May 6, 2014, Moreland pitched an inning against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

in a 12–1 Rangers loss; he retired the side in order. Moreland did not play after June 7, due to an ankle injury that required surgery. In 52 games played, he had two home runs, 23 RBIs, and a .246 average.

2015

The 2015 season was a career year for Moreland. In 132 games played, he was second on the Rangers behind

Prince Fielder Prince Semien Fielder (born May 9, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. He was selected in ...

with a .278 batting average and 85 RBIs; he was tied with Fielder for the team lead with 23 home runs.

2016

In 2016, Moreland batted .233, had 22 home runs and 60 RBIs in 147 games played. He also won his first Gold Glove Award. Overall, in seven seasons with the Rangers, Moreland batted .254 with 110 home runs and 354 RBIs in 773 games played.

Boston Red Sox

On December 8, 2016, Moreland signed a one-year contract with the

2017

On August 25, 2017, Moreland made the second pitching appearance of his career, tossing an inning against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

in a 16–3 Red Sox loss; he allowed two hits but no runs, striking out one batter, catcher

Caleb Joseph Caleb Martin Joseph (born June 18, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He previously played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. Career High school and college J ...

. During the regular season, Moreland played in 149 games, primarily as Boston's first baseman, batting .246 with 22 home runs and 79 RBIs. Mitch Moreland (42028785464)

In the postseason, Moreland played in all four games of the ALDS, batting 5-for-13 (.385) as the Red Sox lost to the eventual 2017 World Series champions, the

. On December 18, 2017, Moreland signed a two-year contract with the Red Sox.

2018

Early in the 2018 season, Moreland split time with

Hanley Ramírez Hanley Ramírez (born December 23, 1983) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Florida / Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cleveland Indians. Ram� ...

as Boston's first baseman, until Ramírez was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on May 25. On July 8, Moreland was named to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game as an American League reserve first baseman. At that point in the season, Moreland had a

slash line S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an ...

of .288/.358/.525 with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs in 71 games played. After the All Star break, Moreland struggled offensively, hitting .191 with 4 home runs in 47 games. Overall, Moreland finished hitting .245 with 15 home runs and 68 RBIs. In the postseason, Moreland appeared in 11 games, batting 5-for-17 (.294) In Game Four of the

, on October 27, 2018, Moreland hit a three-run home run off of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Ryan Madson Ryan Michael Madson (born August 28, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles D ...

, which was viewed as a turning point in the series as it put the Red Sox within one run after trailing 0-4, sparking a rally where they eventually won 9–6. The Red Sox went on to win Game Five 5–1 to capture their 9th championship in franchise history, giving Moreland his first World Series ring.

2019

Moreland began the 2019 season as Boston's primary first baseman. On March 29, he hit a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning off of

Hunter Strickland Hunter Drew Strickland (born September 24, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Ta ...

of the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

, giving the Red Sox the winning runs in a 7–6 victory. Moreland was placed on the 10-day

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

with a low back strain on May 29, activated on June 7, and returned to the injured list on June 8 with a right quad strain. He started rehabilitation assignments with the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

on July 11 and July 19, and was activated on July 23. For the season, Moreland appeared in 91 games with Boston, batting .252 with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs. He became a free agent on October 31.

2020

Moreland and the Red Sox reached agreement on a one-year contract announced on January 28, 2020. With the 2020 Red Sox from the delayed start of the season through late August, he appeared in 22 games, batting .328 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs.

San Diego Padres

He was traded to the

on August 30, 2020, in exchange for minor leaguers Jeisson Rosario and

Hudson Potts file:WooSox vs. IronPigs - June 19, 2021.jpg, upright=1.5, A Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A game featuring the Worcester Red Sox in June 2021 Below is a partial list of players in the Boston Red Sox Minor League Baseball, minor league organization. ...

. With the Padres in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, Moreland played in 20 games and hit .203 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs.

Oakland Athletics

On February 23, 2021, Moreland signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the

Personal life

Moreland married Susannah Higgins on November 13, 2011. , the couple have three children: two sons and a daughter. They reside in

Helena, Alabama Helena () is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in the state of Alabama. Helena is considered a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area. As of 2022 thUnited States Census Bureau estimates the population to ...

, and also own a farm in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

References

External links

Minor League Baseball
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreland, Mitch 1985 births Living people American League All-Stars Texas Rangers players Boston Red Sox players San Diego Padres players Oakland Athletics players Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball players Bourne Braves players Spokane Indians players Clinton LumberKings players Bakersfield Blaze players Frisco RoughRiders players Surprise Rafters players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Pawtucket Red Sox players Round Rock Express players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball right fielders Baseball players from Mississippi Gold Glove Award winners People from Amory, Mississippi Amory High School alumni