Former Texas Rangers Slugger Takes Cuts With Savannah Bananas

The entertaining Savannah Bananas are on a national tour of Major League and minor league ballparks this year.

Oct 9, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland hits a two-run double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 6th inning during game three of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The Savannah Bananas, one of the most exciting teams in professional baseball, are on tour this year.

For the first time, the Bananas, who have become a national sensation for playing what it calls “Banana Ball,” are playing in Major League parks. The exhibition team plays a Harlem Globetrotters style of baseball, which include antics and a consistent foil in their opponent, the Party Animals.

This past weekend, the Bananas were in Boston to play games at Fenway Park. As the Bananas have toured this season, they’ve incorporated former players from the teams whose ballparks they visit. They did the same in Boston.

Among the former Red Sox who wore a Bananas uniform was Mitch Moreland, who spent his formative years in pro ball with the Texas Rangers.

Former MLB All-Star and World Series Champ, Mitch "2-Bags" Moreland, just ripped a single at Fenway Park for your Bananas💪 pic.twitter.com/KFfhFme3re

— Savannah Bananas (@TheSavBananas) June 8, 2024

Moreland pinch-hit in the second inning and immediately hit a single to left field, drawing a raucous response from the sold-out crowd at Fenway.

Moreland is best known to Red Sox fans as the first baseman for their 2018 World Series champions, which was his only All-Star season. He batted .245 with 15 home runs and 68 RBI. That team had two former Rangers — second baseman Ian Kinsler and catcher Sandy Leon — along with current Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi.

The Rangers selected Moreland in the 17th Round of the 2007 MLB Draft, and he made his debut in 2010, the season Texas reached their World Series for the first time.

He became a steady presence at first base through 2016, winning a Gold Glove in his final season with Texas.

He spent four seasons with Boston (2017-20), along with stints with San Diego (2020) and Oakland (2021) before he retired. He was a lifetime .251 hitter with 186 home runs and 618 RBI.