By Ryan Lewis/Akron Beacon Journal
Coming off offseason hip surgery, Indians outfielder Brandon Moss wants to again be able to change games with his bat.
He hit 18 home runs in only 84 games in 2012 and 30 home runs in 2013 for the Oakland Athletics. Last year, he belted 21 home runs and had 66 RBI at the All-Star break, earning him a spot on the American League’s roster. He then played through a hip injury in the second half that eventually required surgery. He hit four home runs, drove in 15 runs and hit just .173 in the second half.
Moss’ power was just gone. Evaporated. He kept playing, but he wasn’t the same. Down the stretch last season, the Los Angeles Angels beat out the A’s for the AL West crown. Moss doesn’t think him having a healthy hip would have certainly turned that tide. But it was still frustrating to keep seeing one-run losses when he knows one swing could have altered several outcomes.
In the American League wild-card game, which the Kansas City Royals won 9-8 in 12 innings, Moss hit two home runs and drove in five runs.
The Royals, of course, went on to push the San Francisco Giants to seven games in the World Series.
“It was frustrating mostly because we lost a lot of games in the second half,” Moss said. “A lot of games were by 1-2 runs [and] there were situations where you might have been able to change the game. That was the most frustrating part. If you continue to win, that would have been OK, I could have dealt with it.”
Now healthy, Moss has looked good this spring and looks to be back to his old self. He’s hitting .290 with three home runs entering Monday’s spring training game with the Chicago White Sox. Indians manager Terry Francona raved earlier this spring about how Moss was “flying past” all of his rehab expectations.
Part of Moss’ quick recovery, he thinks, is that although he struggled to find the power in his swing after getting hurt, he didn’t alter it too much and therefore hasn’t had to spend as much time re-learning proper mechanics. When a player plays through an injury, bad habits are often learned and it takes time to break them.
“Even when things weren’t going well last year I was trying to take a good swing,” Moss said. “My body was trying to take a normal swing, it just couldn’t [find the power]. I was missing the ability to drive the ball because I couldn’t drive through my front side. I feel like that’s there now.”
Moss said the only lingering effects from the surgery he’s still working through involve his first step. But then again, Moss’ value is with his power, not his speed.
“I can definitely feel a difference in my first step, but I think that will come, just over time, building that quick twitch,” Moss said. “But it’s not like I’m a burner on the bases. I was never fast.”
Moss rediscovering his power stroke that warranted him an All-Star bid would be a welcomed addition to the middle of an Indians offence that finished ninth in the AL last year in home runs (142) and seventh in runs (669).
The Indians are counting on bounce-back seasons from Jason Kipnis, Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. And they’re counting on Moss to add an impact bat around them. And, along with Moss, they’re hoping he can change the game again.
Brandon Moss
