Courtesy of Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
Mike Vorkunov of NJ.com pointed out that the Kansas City Royals Mike Moustakas is a former Mets bat boy. Now, he’s tearing up the 2014 postseason to the tune of .318/.348/.864/1.211 line. He’s also recorded four home runs in just six playoff games.
Moustakas was a bat boy under Bobby Valentine‘s Mets regime. In a New York Times piece by Billy Witz, Valentine recalled a practical joke they played on the young bat boy.
“We told him to go find the key to the batter’s box. Then go get the left-handed curveball and bring over the bucket of steam.” He figured out and got some free swag out of the joke.
It’s been a tough year for the fourth year pro. Moustakas was demoted to AAA after opening the season with a .152 batting average in late May. Things got better as the season progressed, but he hasn’t experienced anything like his success in the playoffs.
Moustakas was taken second overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft after David Price and ahead of injured Orioles catcher Matt Wieters. Now he’s locked in for the Royals playoff run that has them up 2-0.
With the frustration of the 2014 season behind him, Moustakas is now looking ahead to game three against the Orioles in Kansas City. That will be the first League Championship Series game in Kansas City since 1985.
