On Wednesday, a little after 4 p.m. at Safeco Field, Mike Moustakas pulled a wooden bat from a long blue duffel bag and walked down a hallway to an indoor batting cage. It was here, tucked behind a nondescript doorway in the bowels of a baseball stadium, that another home run was born. It was here, amid the echoing staccato rhythm of baseball meeting wood, that a plan took shape.
In the midst of the greatest season of his career, Moustakas, the Royals’ third baseman, has maintained a simple routine. In the hours before each game, he joins teammate Eric Hosmer and hitting coach Dale Sveum for an early hitting workout that doubles as an intel briefing and strategy session.