Disappearing Moose

First off, I have a question to ask. What’s the plural form of the word “moose?”

“Mooses?”

I don’t know, but it’s bothering me.

After a somewhat disappointing 2011 campaign, hopes were high for Mike Moustakas as he looked to become the left hook to Hosmer’s right cross.

As the season started, Moustakas looked like he was going to have a stellar season. His defense was impressive and he started the first month of the season off hitting over .300 with a .375 OBP. If Hosmer had cooperated, that duo could have been awe-inspiring indeed. We all know how Hosmer struggled, but have you noticed how Moustakas’ season kind of fizzled after that first month?

I didn’t. I’m not ashamed to admit that. Perhaps, the first month of the season blinded me because I originally went to baseball reference dead-set on writing an article singing Mike’s praises. But when I looked at the monthly splits, there wasn’t a lot to praise.

Did you know that Moustakas’ OBP was under .300 for each of the last three months of the season? Did you know that aside from March/April, his batting average never rose above .250?

Obviously, Hosmer’s struggles were something to worry about and a lot of speculation was….speculated about how he might make adjustments to regain the promise of his rookie year. However, I didn’t hear anywhere near as much speculation regarding Moustakas. He did hit twenty home-runs, which is nice, but the inability to get on base as the season progressed is really troubling to me. Also, he hit fifteen of those home-runs in the first half of the season.

If Hosmer’s struggles were worth freaking out about, then why not Moose? His success may not be AS important as Hosmer’s, but I still think it’s undeniably vital that he succeed and I think to overlook his struggles is a mistake.

What caused Moustakas to struggle as the season wore on? What did you guys see? Can he maintain some long-term success next season?