Chad Moeller

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Chad Moeller
Moeller with the New York Yankees
Catcher
Born: (1975-02-18) February 18, 1975 (age 49)
Upland, California, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 20, 2000, for the Minnesota Twins
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 2010, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Batting average.226
Home runs29
Runs batted in132
Teams

Chad Edward Moeller [MOE-ler] (born February 18, 1975) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 through 2010 for the Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles.

Amateur career

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Moeller attended Upland High School in California, where he lettered in football and baseball. He was teammates with future MLB players Geoff Jenkins, Jacque Jones, Morgan Ensberg and Randy Flores. The New York Yankees drafted Moeller in the 1993 MLB Draft, but he did not sign.[1][2]

He attended the University of Southern California (USC) and played college baseball for the USC Trojans baseball team. In 1995, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.[3][4] In 1996, he was an All-Pac-10 Conference selection. He tore his ACL on a home plate collision to end his college career.[5]

Professional career

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Minnesota Twins

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Despite the injury, Moeller was drafted in the seventh round (187th overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins.[6] During his time in the Twins organization, he competed for playing time with Matt LeCroy and A.J. Pierzynski.[7] After LeCroy hit .170 in 48 games,[8] Moeller was called up to the majors. He made his debut on June 20, 2000, and got his first hit two days later against the Texas Rangers.[9] On July 29, Moeller hit his first homer, a tie-breaking, three-run inside-the-park home run against the New York Yankees.[10] When Moeller hit .216 through 33 games,[11] the Twins called up Pierzynski, who hit .303 the rest of the way.[12]

Arizona Diamondbacks

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On March 28, 2001, Moeller was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for infielder Hanley Frias.[13] That year, he hit .232 in 25 games with the big league club.[14] During the 2002 season, Moeller was called up on July 15 and primarily caught Randy Johnson.[15][5] He was behind the plate for Johnson's 15 strikeout performance against the Montreal Expos on July 31; 16 strikeout game against the Chicago Cubs on August 25; and 17 strikeout performance against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 14.[16][17][18] On the last day of the season, he helped the Diamondbacks clinch home field advantage on the playoffs by homering twice and driving in six runs.[19] Moeller started Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Johnson allowed five earned runs on 10 hits in six innings in what would become a 12–2 loss.[20][21]

After catcher Damian Miller was traded before the 2003 season, Moeller split catching duties with Rod Barajas.[22] He managed to hit .268 with seven home runs and 29 RBI that year, though Moeller lost favor in the organization and was rarely used in the last few weeks of the season.[23][24]

Milwaukee Brewers

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On December 1, 2003, the Diamondbacks included Moeller in a nine-player deal. He, along with Chris Capuano, Craig Counsell, Lyle Overbay, Jorge De La Rosa, and Junior Spivey, were traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Shane Nance, Noochie Varner, and Richie Sexson.[24]

On April 27, 2004, Moeller hit for the cycle against the Cincinnati Reds. He was the first Brewer to hit for the cycle at home, and the first since Paul Molitor did it on May 15, 1991.[25][26] He became Ben Sheets' personal catcher that year[27] and caught his 18 strikeout performance against the Atlanta Braves on May 16.[28] After Moeller hit .208 in a career-high 101 games, the Brewers signed Damian Miller to be the starting catcher in 2005.[29]

In January 2006, he was named to Team USA's preliminary roster for the 2006 World Baseball Classic.[30] However, he was later dropped from the final roster.[31] He hit .184 in 29 games during the 2006 season and was designated for assignment on July 5. Moeller was then outrighted to Triple-A.[32][33][34] On July 15, he caught a combined no-hitter with the Sounds' Carlos Villanueva, Mike Meyers, and Alec Zumwalt.[35]

Cincinnati Reds

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On November 27, 2006, Moeller signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds.[36] He began the season as one of three catchers on the 25-man roster. However, he was designated for assignment on April 18, 2007.[37] He hit .167 in 30 games over three stints with the Reds that season.[38]

Los Angeles Dodgers

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He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations on August 11, 2007.[38] Moeller spent time with the Las Vegas 51s in Triple-A[39] before he was called up in September.[40]

Washington Nationals

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On November 27, 2007, Moeller signed a Minor League contract with an invitation to spring training with the Washington Nationals.[41] He was released on March 9, 2008.[42]

New York Yankees

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He signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees on the same day he left the Nationals.[42][43] The Yankees purchased his contract on April 14 following injuries to Jorge Posada and José Molina.[44] On April 25, he was designated for assignment because it had been thought that Posada would be able to play through his injury.[45] Posada, however, was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 28, and the Yankees added Moeller back to the active roster upon clearing assignment waivers on April 30.[46] He remained on the active roster following Posada's return from the disabled list and appeared at first base and third base for the first time in his career.[47]

Moeller was again designated for assignment on July 31 following the acquisition of Iván Rodríguez.[48][49] He cleared waivers and returned to Triple-A Scranton.[50] Moeller rejoined the Yankees on September 1, when the rosters expanded.[51]

Baltimore Orioles

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Moeller with the Baltimore Orioles in 2009

Moeller signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles on December 12, 2008.[52] He was brought in to help mentor Matt Wieters during spring training.[5] Moeller ultimately made the opening day roster as the backup catcher to Gregg Zaun.[53] After batting .200 with a .259 on-base percentage in fifteen games, he was designated for assignment on May 29 when the Orioles promoted top catching prospect Matt Wieters from the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.[54][55] Moeller cleared waivers five days later and was assigned to the Tides.[56] Moeller was recalled to Baltimore on August 7 when the Orioles traded catcher Gregg Zaun to the Tampa Bay Rays.[57]

Moeller was signed to a minor league contract which included an invitation to spring training with the Baltimore Orioles on December 4, 2009.[58] He was granted his release on April 1 after not making the team.[59]

New York Yankees (second stint)

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On April 3, Moeller signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees.[60] On May 20, he was called up to the Major League roster to back up Francisco Cervelli after another injury to Posada.[61] He played his first game of the season on May 29, starting against the Cleveland Indians.[62] On June 21, Moeller was designated for assignment to clear room on the roster for outfielder Colin Curtis,[63] returning to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees on June 26.[64] He was called up again on September 1.[65]

Colorado Rockies

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On January 19, 2011, Moeller signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies.[66] However, he was released on March 11.[67]

Personal life

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Chad lives happily in Arizona with his three children. Moeller is the cousin of MLB coach Chris Cron, who is the father of C. J. Cron, and Kevin Cron.[68]

Moeller is now a youth baseball instructor and owns a batting cage facility in Scottsdale, Arizona.[69][70] He is also the owner and operator of Team Dinger, which fields several youth baseball teams in Arizona.[71][72] In 2016, he worked with Tim Tebow to help the former quarterback prepare for a career as a baseball player.[73]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "1993 New York Yankees Draft Class - The Baseball Cube". TheBaseballCube.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Chad Moeller Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  3. ^ "Major League Baseball Players from the Cape Cod League" (PDF). Cape Cod Baseball. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Cape Baseball League Results". The Cape Codder. Orleans, MA. July 21, 1995. p. 21.
  5. ^ a b c Kepner, Tyler (February 27, 2010). "The Dish: A Report on Pitchers by a Catcher to the Stars". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "7th Round of the June 1996 Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  7. ^ Lipshez, Ken (March 30, 2000). "Rock Cats' candidates battling for playing time". The Middletown Press. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Matt LeCroy 2000 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "Twins hand Rangers 3-2 setback". The Oklahoman. June 23, 2000. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "Twins' Late Rally Dooms Yanks - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. July 30, 2000. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  11. ^ "Chad Moeller 2000 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Jaffe, Jay (January 10, 2022). "JAWS and the 2022 Hall of Fame Ballot: A.J. Pierzynski". FanGraphs Baseball. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  13. ^ "TRANSACTIONS". The New York Times. March 29, 2001. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  14. ^ "Chad Moeller 2001 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Diamondbacks 5-3 Giants (Jul 16, 2002) Game Recap". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Arizona Diamondbacks vs Montreal Expos Box Score: July 31, 2002". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  17. ^ "Chicago Cubs vs Arizona Diamondbacks Box Score: August 25, 2002". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  18. ^ "Milwaukee Brewers vs Arizona Diamondbacks Box Score: September 14, 2002". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  19. ^ REISNER, MEL. "D'backs Clinch Home-Field Advantage". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "Cardinals 12-2 Diamondbacks (Oct 1, 2002) Game Recap". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "2002 National League Division Series (NLDS) Game 1, St. Louis Cardinals vs Arizona Diamondbacks: October 1, 2002". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "D'backs continue to rely heavily on Johnson, Schilling". CBC Sports. March 28, 2003. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  23. ^ "Chad Moeller 2003 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "D-Backs acquire Sexson, ship six to Brewers". ESPN.com. December 1, 2003. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  25. ^ "Moeller becomes fifth Brewer to hit for cycle". ESPN. April 27, 2004. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  26. ^ "BASEBALL: ROUNDUP; Moeller Hits for Cycle As Brewers Top Reds". The New York Times. April 28, 2004. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  27. ^ "Yankees Sign Chad Moeller, Robby Hammock". MLB Trade Rumors. April 3, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  28. ^ "Brewers 4-1 Braves (May 16, 2004) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  29. ^ "Moeller re-signed by Brewers". CBC Sports. December 7, 2004. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  30. ^ Lefort, David (January 17, 2006). "5 Sox on WBC rosters". www.boston.com. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  31. ^ "Clemens selected for U.S. 30-man WBC roster". ESPN.com. February 14, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  32. ^ "Brewers 6-5 Reds (Jul 5, 2006) Game Recap". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  33. ^ Press, Associated (July 11, 2006). "MOELLER TO NASHVILLE". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  34. ^ McCalvy, Adam (March 14, 2006). "Brewers juggle roster before break". Milwaukee Brewers. MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  35. ^ Rega, Marissa (July 15, 2006). "Nashville trio combines on no-hitter". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  36. ^ "Catcher Chad Moeller signs one-year deal with Reds". ESPN.com. November 28, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  37. ^ "Reds reinstate Hopper, designate Moeller". ESPN.com. April 18, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  38. ^ a b "Dodgers get Moeller". Orlando Sentinel. August 12, 2007. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  39. ^ "Moeller's defense keeps career afloat". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 24, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  40. ^ Bramlett, Jimmy (September 5, 2007). "Dodgers on a Three-Game Winning Streak". LAist. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  41. ^ Ladson, Bill (November 27, 2007). "Nationals sign 19 to 'Minor' deals". Washington Nationals. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  42. ^ a b "A-Rod, Jorge Posada return; Yankees ink veteran Chad Moeller". New York Daily News. March 11, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  43. ^ Hoch, Bryan (March 10, 2008). "Yankees sign veteran catcher Moeller". New York Yankees. MLB.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  44. ^ King III, George A. (April 14, 2008). "JOBA GONE AT LEAST THREE DAYS". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  45. ^ Price, Ed (April 25, 2008). "3-man bench tonight". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  46. ^ Heyman, Jon (April 30, 2008). "The best manager in baseball (cont.)". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  47. ^ "Chad Moeller 2008 Fielding Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  48. ^ Schwartz, Jordan (July 30, 2008). "What a Catch! Yanks Trade For Ivan Rodriguez". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  49. ^ Kennelly, Lisa J. (August 1, 2008). "New York Yankees don't add starting pitcher at trading deadline". nj.com. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  50. ^ Price, Ed (August 7, 2008). "Shoulder lands New York Yankees' Joba Chamberlain on DL". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  51. ^ Harris, Paul (September 1, 2008). "Yanks limit callups to lefty and catcher". New York Yankees. MLB.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  52. ^ Nicholson-Smith, Ben (December 13, 2008). "Odds and Ends: Sheets, Moeller, Yankees". MLB Trade Rumors. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  53. ^ Schmuck, Peter (April 5, 2009). "Opening Day 25-man roster". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  54. ^ "Orioles select contract of CA Matt Wieters". Baltimore Orioles. May 29, 2009. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  55. ^ Press, The Associated (May 30, 2009). "Top Orioles Prospect Wieters Receives Early Call". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  56. ^ Nicholson-Smith, Ben (June 3, 2009). "Odds And Ends: Redding, Aurilia, Mariners". MLB Trade Rumors. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  57. ^ "Orioles trade Zaun to make Wieters top catcher". ESPN. August 7, 2009. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  58. ^ Zrebiec, Jeff (December 5, 2009). "Club Brings Back Moeller". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  59. ^ Zrebiec, Jeff (April 1, 2010). "Orioles grant Moeller an outright release". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  60. ^ Jennings, Chad (April 3, 2010). "Thames makes the team, Moeller signed for Triple-A". The LoHud Yankees Blog. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  61. ^ Hoch, Bryan (May 20, 2010). "Yanks call up Moeller and Russo". New York Yankees. MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  62. ^ Britton, Tim (May 29, 2010). "Cano's slam makes Hughes' win easy". New York Yankees. MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  63. ^ Carig, Marc (June 22, 2010). "Yankees add flexibility to bench with Colin Curtis". NJ.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  64. ^ "Transactions | New York Yankees". New York Yankees. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  65. ^ Collins, Donnie (September 1, 2010). "Yankees call up Albaladejo, Golson and Moeller". The Times-Tribune. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  66. ^ Gleeman, Aaron (January 27, 2011). "Rockies sign Alfredo Amezaga and Chad Moeller". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  67. ^ "Rockies Release Chad Moeller". MLB Trade Rumors. March 11, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  68. ^ Skoda, Jason P. (June 5, 2011). "Siblings C.J. and Kevin Cron are both expected to go high in Major League Baseball's amateur draft – Ahwatukee Foothills News: Sports". Ahwatukee Foothills News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  69. ^ "Baseball Clinics Schedule Information". Chad Moeller Baseball. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  70. ^ "Chad Moeller « Scottsdale Batting Cages". Scottsdale Batting Cages. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  71. ^ Kurland, Brett (September 21, 2016). "Former D-backs catcher Chad Moeller finds passion in teaching". Arizona Sports. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  72. ^ "Team Dinger". teamdinger.squadfusion.com. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  73. ^ Feinsand, Mark (August 11, 2016). "VIDEO: Tim Tebow training for baseball career is no joke, says trainer and former Yankee Chad Moeller". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chad Moeller.
Achievements
Preceded by Hitting for the cycle
April 27, 2004 		Succeeded by
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