‘The real deal’: How McClatchy High grad Malcolm Moore became a Stanford baseball star

Mike de Necochea has studied Malcolm Moore’s ability to tear a baseball apart by the seams for years. He is a believer and a super fan.

The longtime McClatchy High School baseball coach got to know Stanford’s freshman marvel when Moore was 10 years old. de Necochea watched in Land Park Little League contests how the ball exploded off the bat, how the lad calmly handled catching duties and how all of that momentum carried through four magical seasons at storied McClatchy, nestled in the heart of the Sacramento City Unified School District.

“From a young age, he was it,” de Necochea said. “He was the top player, had power, and it was evident that he could just swing it. He had that lift and separation even then. We called him ‘The Natural.’ We saw it as a freshman at McClatchy when he had two home runs in the same game in a tournament in San Diego, and we’re all thinking, ‘This guy is the real deal.’”

de Necochea added: “We knew he was special even then and even more so now at Stanford. I don’t see any change in the way he’s catching, the way he swings the bat. It’s the same swing he’s had since he was 10. His approach is still the same: Do damage.”

The damage at Stanford includes batting .307 with 18 doubles, 14 home runs, 57 RBI and 46 runs scored in earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American honors. Equally as impressive if not a bit more unsung is how Moore has managed the Cardinal pitching staff from behind the plate. Moore appreciates catching every bit as much as he likes sending a ball into the gap or over the fence.

Moore has started all 59 games for Stanford, 50 behind the plate and nine as designated hitter. He will be a focal point this weekend as the Cardinal plays Texas in a Super Regional series at Stanford. At stake is a berth in the College World Series.

But to know Moore is to understand that for all of his star power, he is rooted in humility. Moore prefers to talk about his teammates, though his coach, David Esquer, has called him a “superior talent.”

Dorm life

In a chat with The Sacramento Bee, Moore delighted in his Stanford experience, including dorm life, of taking his bike to and from practice and games at Sunken Diamond, of the pride in “carrying on the tradition” of Stanford baseball.

“College baseball is the greatest experience,” Moore said. “Everyone should play in college if they can. The guys you play with, they’re not just teammates. You’re around them all of the time. They’re family. There’s no better group than your teammates.”

Moore said he has no regrets signing on with Stanford instead of signing on with a Major League Baseball club. He was projected to be a second-round draft pick last July, had he gone that route.

“Coming out of high school, a lot of kids aren’t ready for the real world as much as they think they are,” Moore said. “You don’t have the support group that you have in college. It’s super important to me to make memories in college, to develop and grow.”

Moore is all about baseball as it consumes so much of his life, but he appreciates his down time, too. That is often found within his own dorm.

“My roommate doesn’t know about baseball,” Moore said. “I had a conversation with him the other day, and he was trying to understand baseball. We talk about all kinds of things.”

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Moore earned Sacramento Bee Player of the Year honors in 2022, and he was named by Cal-Hi Sports as its 2022 Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year after cranking 13 home runs, batting .500 and driving in 51 runs for a powerhouse team. Moore was twice named the Gatorade State Player of the Year.

Moore this season hammered his 14th homer in the sixth inning of an NCAA regional playoff last week to help beat Texas A&M, and there were all of his teammates mobbing him, just as he does when one of them has a big play. Moore is one of three Sacramento-area products playing on The Farm, joining sophomore pitcher Ty Uber of Ponderosa and Tiran O’Harran of Rocklin.

Exciting to watch

de Necochea said Moore is easy to root for. The McClatchy coach said Sacramento cheers for its own, a baseball town that keeps on giving.

“It’s exciting to watch what he’s doing. It’s fun and you feel a part of it as we all have a connection with him here in Sacramento,” de Necochea said. “Everyone who knows Malcolm or competed against him feels a part of it. We’re that old public school in Sacramento that still cranks out awesome people. Malcolm’s going to be the best one to come out of McClatchy, the most powerful hitter, and we like to showcase and celebrate them.”

McClatchy has produced several players who reached the big leagues, including Larry Bowa, Rowland Office, Dion James, Nick Johnson and Vance Worley.

But only Moore drew a crowd during batting practice sessions, his towering shots firing up the followers.

“His batting practices were epic,” de Necochea said. “Just wow.”

de Necochea said he spoke to a baseball scout recently who “considered Malcolm to be the second best hitter in the country.”

“Malcolm’s going to be that guy wherever he goes,” de Necochea said. “He’s been that guy and he’s always been that guy.”