CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Appalachian League announced that Danville’s Michael Callan Moss (Saint Leo (Fla.)) was named the 2024 Player of the Year.
Moss, 20, hit .371 (39-for-105) with eight home runs and 39 RBI in 33 regular season games for Danville. The Otterbots’ first baseman had 11 doubles, 28 runs scored, 37 walks and five stolen bases, finishing the season with a .531 on-base percentage and a .724 slugging percentage. Moss led the Appalachian League in batting, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS (1.255), extra-base hits (20) and walks (37). He finished third in both RBI and total bases (76).
After learning of his Player of the Year honors from Danville manager Mickey Tettleton live on MLB Network’s MLB Central on Wednesday morning, Moss revealed that he will be signing as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Royals.
“There is no player in the league more deserving than Cal,” said Tettleton, a 14-year Major League veteran. “To be able to win the batting title and the home run title is quite difficult and an unbelievable accomplishment. Better than that, Cal is an even better person. He meant so much to our team. I’m extremely proud of him and can’t wait to see what the next chapter of his career holds for him.”
Overall, Moss hit safely in 24 games for the Otterbots, highlighted by 13 multi-hit performances. He had two three-hit games, hitting a home run and driving in three runs in both contests, and 16 games with at least one extra-base hit. Moss had 12 games with at least two RBI for Danville, driving in a season-high four runs on July 19 and July 31.
Moss closed the regular season on a 10-game hitting streak (July 17-31), during which he batted .429 and had nine extra-base hits, including four home runs, and 16 RBI. He was named Appy League Hitter of the Week for the final week of the regular season and garnered July Hitter of the Month honors after batting .451 (23-for-51) with five home runs, 23 RBI and 14 runs scored in 16 July games for the Otterbots. He led all Appy League hitters during July in average, OBP (.597), slugging (.902), OPS (1.494), home runs, extra-base hits (tied-12) and total bases (tied-46).
Moss was the starting first baseman and batted third for the East Division in the 2024 Appy League All-Star Game on July 23 in Johnson City, Tenn., finishing 1-for-4. The previous night, Moss won the Appy League’s Home Run Derby after launching 14 home runs en route to 16 points in the event’s final round. It was the second straight year that Moss represented the Otterbots in both the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. He also suited up for the Appy League’s East Select team in its exhibition game against USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team on July 1 in Pulaski, Va.
Moss’ success continued into the postseason. He was 1-for-4 with an eighth-inning RBI single that helped fuel Danville’s come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Burlington on Aug. 1 in the East Division title game. Facing West Division winner Greeneville in the Appy League Championship Game on Aug. 3, Moss walked in all five of his plate appearances, scoring one run in the Otterbots’ 11-5 championship rout.
Defensively, Moss started 19 games at first base and 13 as the Otterbots’ designated hitter. He committed one error in 134 chances at first base for a .993 fielding percentage.
A Brooklyn, N.Y., native, Moss received a slew of accolades this past spring as a Saint Leo University (Fla.) junior after transferring from Seton Hall. He earned D2CCA All-South Region Second Team, NCBWA All-South Region Second Team and ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Second Team selections after leading the team with a .360 average while tallying nine home runs and 44 RBI in 48 games. Moss also was named to the All-Sunshine State Conference First Team and the All-SSC Defensive Team.
A three-year Appy League alum who also played for the Johnson City Doughboys in 2022, Moss produced a .313 (115-for-367) average, .467 OBP and .510 slugging with 14 home runs, 28 doubles and 101 RBI in 112 games between the Otterbots and Doughboys.
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