Gabriel Moreno Reflects on Trade, First Season in Arizona

The young catcher talks about receiving the news about the trade to Arizona and his mental approach in his first full season.

Gabriel Moreno was playing FIFA on his Playstation when he received a fateful phone call on December 23rd. It turned out to be Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins, who called the young catcher to tell him he's been traded to the Diamondbacks. Moreno, along with Lourdes Gurriel Jr., was traded to Arizona in exchange for outfielder Daulton Varsho. It took a week for the news to sink in

In his first full season with the D-backs, the 23-year-old catcher has been better than advertised. He put up a respectable .284/.339/.408 slash line with seven home runs while also leading all National League catchers in caught stealing rate at 39%. In the postseason, he's hitting .250 with four home runs and an .816 OPS, moving up to the third spot in the order at the start of the National League Championship Series. 

His presence on the field showed up in the team's win-loss record, as they were 57-37 when he started behind the plate in the regular season and 10-4 in the postseason. That adds up to a 67-41 record, or .620 winning percentage. He has caught all but 11 of the team's innings, when he was knocked out with a backswing and a hand contusion in the clinching games of both the Wild Card and Division Series. Manager Torey Lovullo spoke about what stands out about the young catcher.

"His heartbeat, his ability to emotionally stay at one level, despite any type of circumstance. And those are the things that I get to see."

Moreno's ability to keep a still heartbeat has been a critical part in his development as the primary starting catcher. Staff aces Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have raved about the level of poise their catcher has played with, likening him more as a 33-year-old veteran. It takes time for a catcher, especially one who has to adjust to an entirely new staff in one spring, to develop that type of trust. That's something that the young backstop points to as his biggest improvement over the season.

"It was something that I had to really work on, just being able to have that trust with the pitchers" said Moreno. "I arrived early in Spring Training. That was one of the main things I focused on, not just for the pitchers but for the entire team to have that trust and confidence in me."

It took him a bit of time to adjust to the way that Lovullo and the coaching staff handled players differently than the coaching staff in Toronto. Moreno still has a close relationship with his former coaches and teammates.

"My development there was key. I put in the effort. I put in the work. And very grateful for all the coaches and teammates that I'm very close to still that helped me out along the way."

In Arizona, he may be the D-backs second most important position player on the roster behind Corbin Carroll. He is controllable through the 2028 season, although they may try to get him locked up to a long term extension in this upcoming off-season.