The Kansas City Royals have finally set a date for their prized pitching prospect’s major league debut.
It’ll probably be the first game for a new catcher, too.
Jake Odorizzi will start Sunday against the Cleveland Indians. Look for Adam Moore to catch Odorizzi while making his own Royals debut, though not his big-league debut.
The Royals claimed Moore off the waiver wire on July 7 from the Mariners. He hit .296 with three home runs and 22 RBI in 35 games with Class AAA Omaha and was called up Sunday after the Storm Chasers were eliminated from the Pacific Coast League playoffs.
Moore caught Odorizzi while at Omaha.
“You can learn the hitters,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s hard to learn a guy if you haven’t caught him before. It takes a time or two to understand. There is a relationship between the pitcher and catcher that you have to be able to know what he can do, what he can’t do, and more importantly, what he thinks he can do and what he can’t do.
“I think it’s more important to have somebody that has caught him before, understands what his pitches can do, understands what it takes if he gets in trouble how to get him out of trouble.”
Yost said Moore and Odorizzi would “have the benefit of watching two games” against the Indians before facing them.
“They’ll have a game plan formulated by the time he pitches,” Yost said. “They’ll get a good feel for the hitters.”
Moore, 28, appeared in 68 games from 2009-11 with the Mariners, hitting .197 with five home runs and 17 RBI, but he struck out 72 times in 234 at-bats.
Yost has yet to see Moore in action.
“I’m interested to see him play, too,” Yost said.