Boss Moanaroa

Crew Tipene Moanaroa

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 200 lb.

• Born July 12, 1991 in Newcastle, New South Wales Australia

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Boss Moanaroa has played in the minors, as did his brother Moko Moanaroa.

Moanaroa signed with the Boston Red Sox in May 2008; the scout was Jon Deeble. He played for Australia in the 2008 World Junior Championship, going 3 for 3 with 3 RBI in a win over Mexico. He made his pro debut with the 2009 GCL Red Sox, hitting .289/.364/.330 as a part-time first baseman. The next year, he batted .268/.373/.429 for the same club, then played for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League, producing at a .279/.341/.519 clip.

Back in the US in 2011, he hit .241/.339/.399 for the Lowell Spinners then followed with a .273/.381/.447 line for the Blue Sox in the 2011-2012 Australian Baseball League. He played for the Greenville Drive in 2012 and batted .262/.391/.365 with 77 walks. He was 4th in the South Atlantic League in walks and just missed the top 10 in OBP. He slumped badly for Sydney in the winter (.149/.279/.272).

Moanaroa was the first baseman for the New Zealand national team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers. He went 4 for 14 with a home run and 4 RBI; he had the lone New Zealand dinger (off Thailand's Adichat Wongvichit) and was second on the team in RBI, two behind Scott Campbell. His woes continued from the winter, faring much worse with Greenville this time (.173/.280/.271, 107 K in 277 AB). The Red Sox let him go.

Moanaroa hit .379/.455/.621 in limited time for Sydney in the 2013-2014 ABL. He then did not play for a winter but returned in 2015-2016 with the Canberra Cavalry and looked revived (.278/.361/.420, 40 RBI in 48 G). He was 4th in RBI (between Rhys Hoskins and Mitch Nilsson).

He had a great game for New Zealand against the Philippines national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers on February 12, 2016. He went 4 for 5 with two doubles and a homer and drove in 7 runs to lead his team to a 17-7 win. His homer off Taylor Garrison in the 6th inning put the Kiwis ahead to stay. He was 0 for 6 in their two losses to South Africa, though, driving in one more. He led the Sydney qualifying pool in RBI, one ahead of Kyle Botha, and only Trent Oeltjen had more extra-base hits.

Primary Sources

• 2012 Red Sox Media Guide
• 2013 WBC Qualifiers
• ABL bio