Robert Moore, Shawnee Mission East and Arkansas standout, picked by Brewers in MLB Draft
Milwaukee Brewers scout Mark Muzzi drove to Fayetteville, Arkansas to meet with Razorbacks second baseman Robert Moore right after the team was eliminated from the College World Series.
“That really left an impression on me,” Moore said Monday during a video conference with reporters. “And I remember leaving thinking I really want to be with the Brewers.”
A former Shawnee Mission East standout, Moore was selected by the Brewers with the 72nd pick in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft on Sunday.
He said he would be forgoing his final years of college eligibility and signing with the Brewers.
“Mr. Muzzi believed in me. He wasn’t taking time away from his family just because,” Moore said. “If it came down to it, if I had a decision between a couple of teams, I really would want to be with the Brewers.”
The son of Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore, Robert said there was “definitely a possibility” he could have been picked by his dad’s front office had the Brewers not selected him at No. 72.
After the Royals made their final selection of the second round on Sunday night at No. 49, Dayton Moore “hurried home” to make it in time to watch his son get drafted.
“We were always expecting the 40-60 range, and we didn’t go,” Robert Moore said. “We had a couple of things in place that ended up falling through, and we kept falling. I eventually went at No. 72, and my dad was there and my mom was there. We found out a couple of picks before, so we got my sister on the phone, who is a missionary in Panama. We told her to turn it on. We called our grandparents and told them to turn it on. It was really cool.”
A 5-foot-9 switch-hitter, Moore started for the Razorbacks the last three years after graduating early from high school.
He slashed an impressive .283/.384/.558 with 16 homers as a sophomore after batting .317 in the limited COVID-19 2020 season as a freshman. After the sophomore year, where he earned first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive team honors and became the first Arkansas player to hit for the cycle since 1994, Moore was initially projected as a late first-round draft pick.
In his junior year, he struggled slightly at the plate, hitting .232 with eight home runs and dropping his draft stock despite winning a Rawlings Gold Glove Award at second base. Moore attributed the dip in production to a stretch of 10-15 games.
He ended his junior season strong as Arkansas made a deep College World Series run before falling to eventual champion Ole Miss in a game to advance to the finals.
“We had a heck of a run in the postseason going on the road,” Moore said. “So, I got to finish my amateur career at the College World Series, which is unbelievable. Now, I get to start my pro career. Thank you for Mr. Muzzi for fighting hard for me.”
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 10:35 AM.