Its a fact that every day more
and more people are finding out about North Rowan High pitcher Daniel Moore.
Moore, obviously, is no secret in this area any
more. A 9-0 high school season and Rowan County Player of the Year honors followed
by a 9-2 American Legion season ended any chance Moore had of remaining anonymous on
trips to the grocery store.
Moores face and 6-foot-5 frame have become
quite familiar to Rowan baseball fans, but expect to see quite a few unfamiliar faces
behind the backstop at the North ball field whenever he pitches this spring.
Those strangers will be carrying radar guns and
wearing caps identifying themselves as scouts from major league baseball teams and major
colleges.
A bunch of people are going to be coming
around to see Daniel, predicted Allen Wilson, the New York Mets scout, who is best
known to area fans for his work as East Rowan coach Jeff Safrits assistant.
Wilson only saw Moore pitch a few innings against
East last season, but had an opportunity to check out his work with the Rowan Legion team
this summer on a regular basis.
Then, in the recent East Coast Pro Showcase,
Wilson was treated to seeing Moore pitch against some of the nations top prep
players.
This was the fourth year of the Showcase, a
festival sponsored by major league baseball and hosted by UNC Wilmington. Seven
organizations (Cubs, Mets, Orioles, Rockies, Marlins, Devil Rays and Diamondbacks) fielded
teams in the five-day extravaganza that brought together 150 of the best and brightest
players from the states east of the Mississippi River.
Wilson, a former minor league player for the Mets
and Braves, coached the pitchers and catchers for the Mets team, which was made up of
players from Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.
Moore was a member of the Diamondbacks team made
up of the cream of the crop from both Carolinas.
The caliber of players in the Showcase is
exceptional.
The talent level is something, said
Wilson. Its nice to be able to tell a kid something, then watch him go out
there and not just try it, but be able to do it. If youre at the Showcase and
only players invited by scouts are there youre gonna get drafted or play
Division I ball. Seventy percent of the players at last years Showcase (including
No. 1 overall pick Josh Hamilton from Raleigh) were drafted. The rest got college
scholarships.
The Showcase is something of a baseball meat
market, the diamond equivalent of the big-time basketball camps that West Rowan stars
Scooter Sherrill and Donte Minter frequented this summer.
On Wednesday, there were 150 pro
scouts said Wilson. There were so many radar guns popping up, it was like the
gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Only 35 or 40 radar guns sighted in on Moore,
because he couldnt get to Wilmington until Friday night, and didnt get on the
mound until Saturday the final day of action.
Moore missed the first four days because Rowan
schools started the Wednesday of Showcase week. He and his family drove down on Friday
night, and the Diamondbacks handed him the ball to start a game on Saturday.
They gave me a uniform and I pitched four
innings, said Moore. I guess I had that uniform on maybe three
hours.
But Moore used that brief time in the spotlight to
open a lot of eyes that hadnt seen him before.
I was the winning pitcher in that game
says Moore modestly. I wasnt nervous at all; it was fun.
Wilson offered a little more detail.
Daniel did nothing but help himself,
he said. In Legion ball, I never clocked him higher
than 83 mph. But hed had time to recharge his battery a little. Hed been away
from ball for a couple of weeks. And he must have been pumped up the scouts and the
competition.
His first pitch at the Showcase, I got him
at 84. I said to myself, The boy is feeling good today.
And soon Moore was feeling even better.
He touched 86 a couple of times, said
Wilson. Its the best Ive seen him throw.
After Moores outing, Wilson went by to say
hello to him. A few minutes later, Wilson was saying hello to a few dozen of his fellow
scouts. They knew Wilson, like Moore, was from Rowan, and they all wanted to know all
about the left-handed kid who had shown up at the last minute and casually tossed some
smoke bombs.
I told them that Daniels a great kid,
a great student and a hard worker, said Wilson. A lot of people were very
interested. Daniels that prototype tall lefty. Thats something everyone wants
and no one has.
Moore confirmed that after returning home he
received calls from N.C. State, UNC and four other colleges. He plans a recruiting visit
to Chapel Hill on September 4 and to Raleigh on October 16.
If Moore, whos currently playing soccer for
the Cavs, winds up going to college it will likely be to one of the ACC schools. The other
possibility and its a distinct one is the major league draft.
If Daniel works his butt off this winter, he
could add another couple of miles per hour to his fastball, said Wilson. If he
does that, his life could be really, really good.
n
NOTES: Other than Moore, Piedmont pitcher Scott
Manshack was the only area player to participate in the Showcase. ... Wilson also ran into
T.C. Roberson Highs Chris Narveson, who played hoops against West Rowan in the
Western Regionals in Hickory last March. He knew where I was from and told me that
we had a pretty good basketball team out at West, said Wilson. I asked him
about Scooter, and he just rolled his eyes. ... Brett Peiffer and Brian Hatley, both
of East Rowan, are spending the fall playing on a high-level Charlotte-based team that
plays in weekend tournaments.