Once a day, Melvin Mora lets himself enjoy what he has already accomplished for the Baltimore Orioles in a season that has unfolded beautifully and unexpectedly for him. Once a day, Mora peeks at the American League batting average leaders and sees his name, the name of a plucky but never superb player, listed above everyone else’s.
Mora smiled as he mentioned several players trailing him in batting average, randomly selecting most of them based more on their hefty reputations than on their current averages: Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and Garret Anderson. Mora said their names slowly, blissfully ignoring the fact that only Garciaparra is in the top 10 in hitting.
Mora spoke about those five All-Stars with the reverence an unknown actor might use after his performance had been vaunted enough to rate him, at least temporarily, ahead of Denzel Washington, Robert DeNiro, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery and Gene Hackman.
Mora, 31, has a starring role these days as a utility player who became a lethal utility starter with a startling .360 average.
“It’s something that makes me special,” Mora said. “At the moment, I’m on top. I have to enjoy that. I know those guys, maybe sooner or later, they’re going to catch me. The only thing I can do is enjoy it day by day.”
How did this happen?
How is Mora, an affable former Met who came into the season with a .249 career average, batting more than 100 points higher than that? He did not reach the major leagues until he was 27? How has he never batted above .291?
Mora also was leading the league with a .465 on-base percentage, was sixth with a .585 slugging percentage and had hit 10 homers and driven in 32 runs as of midweek.
To Mora, explaining his surprising ascent is easy. He has been more patient at the plate, which has allowed him to swing at superior pitches and has slightly decreased his strikeouts. Mora, who bats right-handed, is also spraying hits to all fields by stroking the ball where it is pitched instead of trying to pull too many pitches to the left side.
The Orioles were upset with Mora last season for lapsing into a long swing and trying to belt too many home runs, and manager Mike Hargrove credited Mora for not “overswinging like he did in the past.”
Mora, who had 19 homers in 2002, was defensive about this topic and insisted that his robust swing had not changed. Still, utility players are supposed to be puny hitters, not productive sluggers. Right? And they are not supposed to lead the league in hitting either.
“I don’t believe in good luck,” Mora said. “I don’t believe in superstition. I don’t believe in magic. I believe when you work hard, you’re going to feel the results. If you don’t work hard, you won’t be able to do your job.”
Versatile performer
Mora does as many jobs as anyone in baseball. He has started games at five positions–shortstop, second base and all three outfield spots. He has started in left field most frequently but considers center his best position.
Hargrove called Mora “a tremendous asset” because of his versatility on the field and the flexibility he provides for a lineup. Jim Beattie, the Orioles’ senior vice president for baseball operations, said Mora’s solid defensive skills enabled Hargrove to spot him in different positions and to never worry about a letdown while he rested other players.
“I don’t know if Melvin is a .360 hitter,” Beattie said. “He was a valuable utility player before this. I don’t think anybody can say he’s not an everyday player, because he’s doing it.”
As Mora does his numerous jobs, he oozes confidence. When he was asked if he was surprised to be performing at an elite level, he laughed and said: “I was surprised being on the bench. That made me surprised.”
Mora started six of the Orioles’ first 16 games this season and was batting .136. Once he began playing regularly, his numbers soared. It has been impossible for Hargrove to keep him out of the lineup.
Mora had a 23-game hitting streak snapped a week ago Friday. But even though Beattie called Mora an everyday player, Mora has a dose of uncertainty because Hargrove has not addressed his enhanced status.
“He never tells me anything,” Mora said of Hargrove. “Last year he told me I would play one time a week, and I played every day. This year he tells me I’m going to play one or two times a week. I said fine. So what do I expect from him? I have to wait.”
Even as Mora wondered about his playing time and whether his versatility is ever a disadvantage, he maintained a cheerful disposition. He explained how his 23-month-old quintuplets are such sound sleepers that he sometimes has to wake them up to play. He sheepishly admitted that his 6-year-old daughter has remained a Mets fan.
Becoming a fan favorite
Mora was a cult hero for the Mets, a little-known catalyst who had played professionally in Taiwan before evolving into a fan favorite as a rookie in 1999 with his gritty approach and thrilling play. He was traded to the Orioles in July 2000 for shortstop Mike Bordick, then watched the Mets march into the World Series.
The personal success Mora had with the Mets and the team success he missed after being traded could explain why he was wistful about his former teammates.
“I wish, one day, everyone could be together again so we could give the fans the amazing years we had in 1999 and 2000,” he said. “That’s a group you’re never going to forget.”
Mora openly discussed the prospect of playing elsewhere, because it could happen. It is unrealistic the rebuilding Orioles will make the postseason.
Mora’s play has been an incredible surprise, his stock has never been higher and if a contending team acquires him, it will be like adding two players, because his versatility can enable a team to keep an extra pitcher on the roster.
Beattie said teams had called about Mora in the off-season, but not recently. Beattie thinks teams realize Mora is now “probably too valuable a player for us to give up,” and he spoke about Mora as part of the Orioles’ future. “Certainly, we talk about players, but we’re not looking to move Melvin,” Beattie said.
Mora said he would like to stay in Baltimore, but seconds later he also sounded open to other possibilities.
“If they want to trade me to New York, I’d go back home, or I’d go somewhere else,” he said. “Whatever they decide to do is good for me.”
This season Mora loves everything about baseball in Baltimore–mostly because he loves playing every day and also because he is excelling every day. Leading the league in hitting is a sweet development for someone who has become much more than a utility player.
“It’s a long season, a long way to go,” Mora said. “Hopefully, my numbers will still be good in September too. Or in October, in the playoffs. You never know.”
