Even though many players have not panned out for the Angels while under contract, it’s nice to see some of them extend their playing careers elsewhere. That is the case for the 36-year-old Brian Moran. After Moran spent the entire 2022 season with the Angels organization (mostly at AAA Salt Lake), he signed with the Atlanta Braves before the 2023 season. He just officially re-upped with the Braves for his third consecutive season, despite not seeing MLB time in that span. His minor league contract includes an invitation to major league camp.

Moran’s Angels career was not incredibly impactful, to put it mildly. He did, in fact, make only one appearance for the Halos in 2022. He recorded 1 out, allowed 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 home run, and issued an intentional walk. So…yeah…not great. His Angels’ ERA stands at 54.00, and WHIP at 12.00. He did post impressive numbers at Salt Lake that season, despite SLC’s altitude being a pitcher’s worst nightmare. In 45 games for the Bees, Moran posted a 4.07 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 48.2 innings. He posted incredible numbers for AAA Gwinnett in 2023, but had a rough 2024 which included a few trips to the Development List. Atlanta’s front office and coaching staff clearly value what he brings to the table.

The left-handed side-winder has one of the funkiest arsenals you’ll see. Most left-handed pitchers with an 8° arm angle generate extreme arm-side run on their four-seam/sinker or two-seam/changeup. Not Moran, though. His four-seam cuts from his side-arm release. It is a four-seam that cuts, not actually a cutter. That’s not his most used effective pitch even. He relies on his gigantic, loopy sweeper for swing-and-misses. He drops in his upper-60s, lower 70s sweeper often to keep batters off-balance and generate chases outside the zone. His arsenal is actually tougher on right-handed hitters than left-handers, even if his arm angle makes it virtually impossible for left-handed hitters to see the ball getting released. Also, despite a mid-80s four-seam he racks up a good amount of strikeouts. He is truly a one-of-one pitcher.

Brian Moran is brothers with Colin Moran, nephew of Rick Surhoff, and nephew of B.J. Surhoff. He pitched at the University of North Carolina and was drafted in the 7th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Miami Marlins, amassing 10 total innings pitched across 15 games during the ’19 and ’20 seasons. Actually, the Marlins released Moran after the ’19 season, the Blue Jays signed him before the ’20 season, DFA’d him, and the Marlins claimed him to bring him back. He’s certainly had an interesting career, and there’s more to come!

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