Colin Moran

Colin Richard Moran (born October 1, 1992) is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent.

He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds.

[1] Undrafted out of high school, he chose to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) to play college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

[5] Despite an injury shortened sophomore season, Moran again led the Tar Heels with a .365 average and 35 RBIs.

[citation needed] Moran followed the injury-plagued season by being selected as a second team All America by Louisville Slugger,[6] ACC player of the year,[7] and a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award[8] while setting a single season RBI record for UNC, with 86 runs batted in.

[11] He hit a home run in his first professional at-bat, as a member of the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the Single–A South Atlantic League.

Attending spring training in 2014, Moran sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

He began the 2014 season on the disabled list[14] before being assigned to the Marlins' High–A affiliate, the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League.

On July 31, 2014, the Marlins traded Moran, Jake Marisnick, Francis Martes, and a compensatory draft pick to the Houston Astros in exchange for Jarred Cosart, Enrique Hernández, and Austin Wates.

On July 22, Moran was injured in the sixth inning when he fouled an inside pitch from Baltimore Orioles reliever Darren O'Day straight up and into the left area of his eye.

[25] On January 13, 2018, the Astros traded Moran, Joe Musgrove, Michael Feliz, and Jason Martin to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Gerrit Cole.

In the pandemic shortened 2020 season, Moran led the Pirates in total bases (84), home runs (10), and tied for first in RBI (23), slashing .247/.325/.472.

On January 10, 2023, Moran signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners organization.

On April 30, 2024, Moran signed with the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

Moran with North Carolina in 2011
Moran during spring training in 2015
Moran with the Astros in 2015