25 July 2007

Braves’ dual threat is back for ‘more’

By Erin Lewis
GateHouse News Service

Cape Cod - When it comes to the sport of baseball, especially as far along in one’s career as the Cape League, most young men find themselves in love with one spot on the field. 

    Whether they can throw an “unhittable” curve or execute the perfect diving catch, a ballplayer is usually given a title — second-baseman or right-handed pitcher. 

    In some cases, however, this title is hard to decipher.

    In a recent game between the Bourne Braves and Y-D Red Sox at Red Wilson Field in South Yarmouth, a Bourne right-hander was struggling on the mound. The calls weren’t going Bourne’s way and only the bats of opposing team were compensating. Instead of beckoning for a new pitcher from the bullpen, field manager Harvey Shapiro called on his first basemen to take the hill. 
Mitch Moreland, a lefty out of Mississippi State, just an inning earlier tacked an RBI onto his record by beating out a ground ball, and then caught a Y-D runner in a pickle for an out.

    Moreland, an outfielder-pitcher-first baseman who says he can play anywhere and was awarded the multi-position standout award while attending Amory High School in Mississippi, returns to the Braves for a second summer after racking up 51 starts and a trip to the College World Series with the Bulldogs. 

    Never mind those he impressed in Mississippi, most who remember his appearances last year will be just as anxious to see what he can do this year. Moreland left Massachusetts with a .239 batting average, 33 hits, a 3.00 ERA, a .384 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .401 (giving him the fifth best OBP in the league, despite the 2006 Braves’ last place status.

    Moreland also kept Braves fans cheering with his domination of the CCBL home-run derby, in which he took home first prize at last years’ all-star game. After Moreland decided against signing a pro contract with the Texas Rangers, Braves general manager Michael Carrier didn’t waste any time making sure he was back in a Braves uniform.

    “He’s a very versatile player,” says Carrier. “He pitches, plays first and the outfield. He’s also a good citizen. When a team gets the opportunity to get a player like that again, they jump at the chance.” 

    The opportunity to come back to the Cape appealed to Moreland, who didn’t have big plans following the College World Series. “I was just kind of sitting around the house [after the College World Series], not really doing much,” jokes Moreland, “and the coach called me telling me there was a position open. I had a lot of fun here last summer, so I decided to come back.”

    A former football and spring soccer letterman for Amory, Moreland doesn’t think of himself as an overachiever, despite his versatility. However, he doesn’t mind the extreme lack of downtime the Cape League allows for rest between games. 

    “You get worn down, but your body gets used to it. Eventually, it becomes second nature playing every single day,” he says, “but as long as I’m between the lines, I’m happy.” 

    No matter how many games Moreland plays, however, he finds that most coaches have confidence in his ability and he rarely spends a game on the bench. 

    “I’ve never really had restrictions put on me. I’m not usually a starter, so I come in whenever a coach needs me,” Moreland observes. He does, however, claim that the pitchers mound is his favorite place to be at game time. “[As a pitcher] you have more control over what happens. It’s your game,” Moreland confesses.

    His experience in the Cape League is a little different than most other players; he doesn’t have a single teammate from MSU in the league with him. Moreland does, however, recognize a few faces from regular season play. For example, he’s faced off against Chatham A’s Addison Johnson (Clemson) and Cliff Springston (Baylor) in regular season play, as well as Braves standouts Brian Pruitt (Stetson) and Brett Basham (Ole Miss) in post-season play.

    Though any coach can recognize his contributions, Braves’ fans are even more grateful to see him return. During the same match-up in Yarmouth, under cloudy skies and even cloudier conditions for the Braves (with a close 5-4 final score), an announcer states he’s never seen someone like Moreland before. 

    “He has skill in the field, as anyone with eyes can see. But when Moreland hits the mound, he looks to have two different speeds — fast and faster.” 

    No matter where Moreland sets his cleats into the dirt next, an impressive performance is sure to follow. Thankfully for Braves fans, he’s just happy to be back in the Cape playing the game he loves to play.

    Erin Lewis is an intern for the Bourne Braves and a junior at Northeastern University majoring in Communications.