June 6 , 2007

Moskos' next stop: The bank
Well-traveled versatile Clemson pitcher is expected to cash in on his status as a top-10 prospect

By PAUL STRELOW

CLEMSON — The need to build a highway through a mountain took Daniel Moskos to Hawaii for elementary school. Airport construction landed Moskos in California for his teen years.

He was born in Greenville only because his father, Paul, a civil engineer, had been unemployed. Two weeks later, the family moved to Atlanta.

But thanks to an admittedly cliche e-mail from an alumnus parent, Clemson found its latest celebrated pitcher.

Moskos is on the verge of landing a millionaire job for one of 30 Major League Baseball franchises.

The junior left-handed pitcher is projected to go in the top 10 selections in the first-year player draft, which begins Thursday. No Clemson player has been selected in the top 10 since 1996.

Moskos has adapted his wardrobe to the local style during his travels, but his laid-back demeanor can be traced to his West Coast roots.

“Right now, I’m in a good situation, and I don’t think my draft stock is going to change,” Moskos said. “There’s no point in letting yourself think about it, because you can’t really do anything extra. You can just deal with what you’re capable of.”

“I’ve let it get the best of me before. I’m not going to let it happen again.”

Coming out of high school in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. — 40 miles east of Los Angeles — Moskos fielded calls from clubs that considered selecting him in the third round, but none chose to meet the price tag of nearly $800,000 he placed on his education.

He made a wise investment. The lowest signing bonus among last year’s top-10 picks was $2 million, and every signed first-rounder collected at least $1 million.

Moskos is being advised by Mark Pieper, who serves as the agent for reigning American League MVP Justin Morneau and former USC standout Brian Roberts.

Although he has not overwhelmed batters, Moskos maintained his status as a high commodity by pairing in-demand tools with above-average performances.

Left-handers such as Moskos who have a durable frame (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) and command of a fastball that reaches 92-95 mph are always in short supply. Moskos’ 0.96 earned run average against wooden bats during the summer as a member of Team USA secured his spot on scouts’ radars.

Converted from closer to starter in early April, Moskos traded his panache for strikeouts for the opportunity to develop his slider and change-up.

He had a 2.53 ERA and struck out 16.3 batters per nine innings as the closer; he posted a 3.08 ERA and 7.9 strikeout average in nine starts, although he notched two quality starts of at least seven innings heading into the draft.

Opinions vary on how he will be used as a pro. His three-pitch repertoire is believed to better-suited to a starter, but the velocity on his fastball was 2-4 mph higher as a reliever.

“His place in the draft was already cemented before he became a starter,” one AL scout said. “Starting just allowed us to know when to come and see him.”

Moskos’ dad, Paul, attended Clemson, and both his parents were raised in Charleston. So when it came time for the California kid to begin the recruiting process after his junior season, Paul e-mailed pitching coach Kevin O’Sullivan to see if the Tigers would be interested.

Traditional instate powers Southern California, Cal-State Fullerton and Long Beach State pursued Moskos, but he narrowed his choices to Clemson and Stanford for educational purposes.

When Moskos picked Clemson — the health science major earned a 4.0 grade-point average this spring — he correctly figured his family would follow suit.

His parents moved to Chapin in February, shortly after his sister, Erin, enrolled at Clemson in January on a soccer scholarship.

“You can’t ask for anything to work out better than it has,” Paul Moskos said.

Well, almost. Moskos planned to be a starter when he arrived, but quickly learned differently.

As is routine, the left-hander spent his freshman season as a situational reliever, then aspired to climb into the mix as a midweek starter as a sophomore.

But when Maine transfer Steve Richard struggled as the closer, the Tigers turned to the rocket arm who seemed the best Plan B.

Moskos compiled 16 saves through this March until several rough outings by No. 1 starter P.J. Zocchi led O’Sullivan to move Moskos from the bullpen.

Moskos credited much of his improved consistency to maturity, which he gained under the tutelage of former teammate Drew Fiorenza, a junior-college transfer and seldom-used reliever who left after his lone season last year when he was drafted in the 15th round.

Fiorenza taught Moskos the importance of conditioning, especially developing a running regiment in order to help stamina.

“He always made sure I had my head on straight,” Moskos said.

As a result, Moskos wound up anchoring what O’Sullivan has labeled the best staff in terms of pure talent in his nine-year tenure.

Fellow junior David Kopp could be selected in the first round, while relievers Alan Farina and Stephen Clyne likely will be picked in the first five rounds.

O’Sullivan only saw Moskos throw a bullpen session before offering him a partial scholarship, and the rest figures to be Clemson draft history.

“At this time three years ago, our season was over and I was just sitting around and enjoying myself, going to the beach,” Moskos said. “Right now, it’s nice to have another focus — getting the team back to Omaha.”

“I have no regrets. I’m 10 times better for it. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have decided any other way.”