When Mitch Moreland was drafted in the 17th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, it wasn’t guaranteed he’d even make the majors.
Moreland waited almost three years to see his first major league game and spent time in the minors in parts of seven different seasons. But through all the minor league appearances, the Boston Red Sox first baseman won a Gold Glove in 2016 with the Rangers and appeared in two World Series, both with Texas.
Moreland, however, saw limited time on the field to begin the 2018 season for Boston, but he showed consistency at the plate whenever given the chance. And after Hanley Ramirez was designated for assignment back in May, Moreland became the Sox’s full-time first baseman.
Moreland has been a consistent force at the plate, hitting .288 with 11 home runs, 15 doubles, four triples and 43 RBIs through 71 games thus far. He was awarded for his efforts Sunday, as the 32-year-old was named to his very first All-Star Game.
“I didn’t know if it would ever be quite possible,” Moreland said, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
Moreland learned of the selection before Sunday’s 7-4 sweep of the Kansas City Royals, and his teammates seemed pretty excited for him.
“Obviously everybody coming up and giving you hugs, and excited,” Moreland said. “They were just as excited as I was about it. Special.”
Special, indeed.
The All-Star Game is set to take place on July 17 from Nationals Park in Washington D.C.
