Exactly a year ago Friday, Mike Moustakas was lost in transition, gridlocked at a crossroads of his career and relegated to a remedial assignment in Class AAA Omaha.
What the Royals’ third baseman wasn’t, though, was fragile or petulant about the demotion necessitated by his .152 average to start a season in which his arrival was not only anticipated but crucial.
Instead, general manager Dayton Moore recalled Friday, Moustakas absorbed the news almost appreciatively, with “incredible” professionalism and good body language.
As distasteful as the moment may have felt to Moustakas, who was saddened to be letting people down, he seemed to understand that something drastic had to be done to reset himself.