Gabriel

Moreno

Moreno started the offensive explosion with a 416-foot (105.6-mph EV) three-run blast off of Tanner Gordon in the opening inning. That would be his only hit in six at-bats on the afternoon. For the season, the 26-year-old backstop is now hitting .308/.384/.486 with 16 homers and 81 RBI in what has been a very strong offensive campaign.

Moreno is hitting .385 with four homers in his last 17 games. His season average is up to .310, giving him a legitimate shot of overtaking Luis Arraez at .312 for the NL batting title. He just needs to avoid running out of energy; he’s caught eight straight games now.

Moreno has overtaken Nick Gonzales and Otto Lopez to move into second place in the NL with a .307 average. Only Luis Arraez, at .316, is ahead of him. Moreno is also 11th in the majors with an .870 OPS, placing him right in between Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

Moreno put the Diamondbacks on the board in the first inning, taking Jansen Junk deep for a solo homer. He then drew a pair of walks and stole a base before knocking a base hit in the ninth to reach for a fourth time. The 26-year-old backstop has put together a career year, hitting .303/.382/.474 with 14 homers, 64 runs scored, 74 RBI, and six steals across 510 plate appearances.

Moreno’s home run was his 12th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Cristian Javier in the fourth inning. Moreno’s .168 ISO this year is a career-high and fantasy managers will take it given the rest of his profile, which includes an 11 percent walk percentage and just a 15 percent strikeout percentage. He’s hitting .299 with an .846 OPS and 68 RBI.

Moreno started a rally with a leadoff walk in the seventh inning and wound up scoring the game’s first run on Lars Nootbaar’s grand slam. With the strong day at the dish, the 26-year-old backstop is now slashing .302/.382/.466 with 11 homers and 66 RBI on the season.

Moreno is up to .303/.383/.471 through 105 games, and he’s pretty clearly been one of baseball’s top three catchers this year. The potential has always been there if he could stay healthy, and though his durability is still in question, he’s a legitimate star right now.

It seems like a routine day off for Moreno. James McCann will start behind the dish, and Nolan Arenado will DH with Jose Fernandez playing third base.

Moreno was a thorn in the side of the Red Sox in this series at Fenway Park, tagging Payton Tolle for a two-run double with two outs in the fifth innings of this one after clubbing a grand slam during Tuesday’s contest. Perhaps it’s only fitting since he was once the top prospect for the division-rival Blue Jays. He’s settled in nicely as a run-producing middle-of-the-order mainstay for the Diamondbacks.

This might not be the Diamondbacks’ year, but at least Moreno is fulfilling his potential in becoming of the game’s best catchers. The 26-year-old is batting .308/.385/.470 with 10 homers and 60 RBI through 98 games. Not to say they’re exactly equivalent offensive threats, but the only player in MLB with a higher average and more homers than Moreno is Yordan Alvarez.