Ten things to know about Brandon Moss

The Royals have signed slugger Brandon Moss to a two-year, $12 million deal. Here are ten quick facts about the newest member of the Royals organization.

1. Brandon Moss went to Loganville High School, about 45 minutes east of Atlanta. He is the only big leaguer to graduate from Loganville, although top prospect Clint Frazier could join him soon.

2. Brandon Moss hit his first Major League home run in Tokyo, Japan. The Red Sox opened the 2008 season against the Athletics at the Tokyo Dome, and Moss homered off Huston Street.

3. Brandon Moss was once involved in a three-team trade with Manny Ramirez and Jason Bay that sent Moss from Boston to Pittsburgh.

4. Brandon Moss is a talker.

"It's nonstop. I don't really ever listen to what he's saying because it's just noise," first baseman Daric Barton said. "He'll be talking about something that has nothing to do with anything, random stuff. It's just nonsense. It's not about baseball. It's never about baseball."

5. Brandon Moss almost quit baseball to become a firefighter after the Phillies let him go in 2011.

"I definitely considered (firefighting), especially after I got designated by Philly,'' Moss said. "But I was going to go to winter ball, play one more year, and if I didn't get a job in Japan or an opportunity overseas, I wasn't going to play.''

6. His career turned around after minor league hitting coach Jeff Branson told him after batting practice not to worry about contact and to just try to hit it as hard as he could.

“I don’t know if I can,” Moss recalled answering. “It’s fun to do it in BP. But it’s a totally different thing to do it in a game. He said, ‘With where you hit the ball in BP, you have the ability to miss balls and hit them over the fence. Honestly, I think that’s a better approach for you to have. You’re not really having success with what you’re doing now.’

“And,” Moss said. “He was right.”

7. Brandon Moss was an All-Star in 2014, striking out against Craig Kimbrel in his only plate appearance.

8. Brandon Moss is an avid hunter.

“It’s like a therapy for me in the offseason to get away,” Moss said. “Most of your time is spent in the woods alone with no animals around and you’re in the peace of the woods. When the animals show up, the heart starts pumping, you get a good buck coming in range; there aren’t many adrenaline rushes like that when you put a big buck down.”

9. Brandon Moss is one of 48 players to homer against every single team currently in Major League Baseball.

10. Brandon Moss does not like batting average.

Eno Sarris: Have you ever heard of FanGraphs?

Brandon Moss: Yeah!

Sarris: Because we have you down as a top-ten hitter since 2012 by Isolated Slugging. So I wanted to say to you here, fuck batting average.

Moss: I agree. I 100% agree with that.

Sarris: So I can quote you on that.

Moss: You can quote me that way if you want to. I’m not kidding, you can. I’m a 100% believer that it is one of the worst statistics to judge a hitter, it’s based entirely on luck.

Adam Dunn: That’s bullshit, dude.

Moss: Batting average? It’s the stupidest stat! It’s based entirely on luck!

A talker who likes to hunt? Sounds like he’ll fit into the Royals clubhouse quite nicely.