BRADENTON, Fla. — Over the offseason, left-hander Daniel Moskos said he focused on consistency and working on improving his breaking ball. And so far during Grapefruit League action, his hard work has been paying off. Moskos entered Tuesday’s game action with scoreless streak on the line. Over seven appearances, Moskos has tossed 7.1 frames without giving up an earned run, and hitters are hitting just .154 off him.
“I have a pretty sound workout program and stuff. That’s stuff usually the same,” Moskos said of his offseason workouts. “The breaking ball, and consistency of delivery was the main focal point.”
“Just consistency. That’s the main thing that a lot of young guys will tell you they’re working on. You have outings where you feel pretty good, then you have outings where you’re not so good. You want to try and have more of the previous. The main thing I worked on this offseason when I went home, was finding my breaking ball. That’s going to be a big pitch for me moving forward. It was a big pitch that was kind of missing at times last year. Times when I struggled I think, the breaking ball was probably the main cause of that. I worked hard on that this offseason and it’s shown strides so far this spring. I’m always going to keep trying to get better and get better with it.”
Moskos, the Pirates first round pick in the 1st round of the 2007 draft, made his Major League debut last season in Pittsburgh. After making eight appearances with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he posted a 1.69 ERA, Moskos was called up on April 30 against the Colorado Rockies and tossed a perfect inning of relief.
The 25-year-old lefty went on to make 30 more appearances with the Pirates, where he posted a 2.96 ERA over 24.1 innings. Moskos said his experience in the big leagues last year was invaluable.
“Experience is the best learning tool in this game,” Moskos said. “There’s no price tag you can put on it. You don’t know how to prepare for the big leagues, until you’ve been there and gone through it, seen where the game is faster, things that you need to work on really magnifies mistakes and things of that nature. I think that, that experience is probably the most valuable thing you can really get it.”
With just a week remaining in spring training, Moskos is battling to break camp with the big league club in the Pirates bullpen. With a few spots still open, Moskos spring may give him a chance to make the team.
“Consistency is going to the huge thing. I got to be the same guy every time I take the mound,” Moskos said. “That’s part of being mature and growing up. Obviously I’ve still got a lot to do in that game and I’ll never stop trying to get better.”
