ANAHEIM — There’s no organization quite like the Angels when it comes to promoting their Draft picks to the Majors in a hurry. Right-hander Chase Silseth was the first player from the 2021 Draft to reach the Majors, shortstop Zach Neto was the first to get there from the ‘22 Draft and first baseman Nolan Schanuel was called up just 40 days after being the No. 11 pick last year.
Infielder Christian Moore, coming off an incredible junior season at the University of Tennessee, is well aware of that trend and wants to be the next to follow in that mold after being selected as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday. The Angels went with two more polished college players on Day 1, taking Texas A&M right-hander Chris Cortez with the No. 45 pick and Dallas Baptist right-hander Ryan Johnson with the No. 74 selection.
“I want to be able to compete at the highest level as fast as I can,” said Moore, 21, who attended the Draft in person with his family in Texas. “But we haven’t really talked that much about it. Obviously, I’m still at the Draft. But if I get the opportunity, I’m going to try and run with it.”
Moore is a name that’s certainly fresh in the minds of college baseball fans, given that he played a heavy role for the Tennessee team that just won its first Men’s College World Series title in school history. But Moore, the No. 13 ranked Draft prospect by MLB Pipeline, has been productive long before his recent stint in Omaha.
Despite having a successful prep career in Connecticut, during which he was ranked as a top-100 player nationally in his class by Perfect Game, Moore was not selected in the 2021 MLB Draft. Tennessee was more than happy to hear this, and he proceeded to become an immediate stud for the Volunteers, having an OPS above 1.000 in all three of his collegiate seasons.
