Away from the majors in 1995, Marcus Moore looked to return in 1996 and even appeared to be the Reds' early pick as closer, The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote.
The Enquirer noted that Moore had joined the organization the previous April in a trade and that Reds GM Jim Bowden liked Moore's fastball.
"It always make you feel good when somebody shows confidence in you," Moore told The Enquirer late that spring. "The Reds have shown that in me. They believe in me. Now, it's time for me to live up to my part of the deal."
Left unmentioned in The Enquirer article, though, was that Moore was also trying to come back from serious allegations made against him - and a trial. Moore had been accused of rape by his then girlfriend in 1994. That sexual assault case eventually made it to trial, ending in a hung jury and a misdemeanor plea, according to press accounts.
Moore did resume his major league career in 1996, marking his third season in the bigs. It also proved his last.
Moore's career began in 1988, taken by the Angels in the 17th round of the draft out of Kennedy High School in Richmond, Ca.
He started with the Angels in 1989, at short-season Bend. He went 2-5, with a 4.52 ERA in 14 starts. He then moved to single-A Quad City in 1990 and went 16-5 in 27 starts, with a 3.31 ERA.
Moore moved to the Blue Jays system for 1991 and saw high-A Dunedin that year and AA Knoxville in 1992. Then, that November in 1992, the Rockies selected Moore in the expansion draft.
"I was all fired up," Moore told The Tucson Citizen of the selection. "In fact, I'm still fired up. It gives me a different outlook. It probably would have taken three years for me to make the big leagues with Toronto, now I think I can make it in a year."
With his new club, it took Moore just to that next July to make his major league debut. Moore saw 27 relief appearances for the Rockies. He went 3-1, with a 6.84 ERA.
Moore then returned to the Rockies for another 29 relief outings in 1994. He went 1-1, with a 6.15 ERA.
But, during that 1994 campaign, during a stint at AAA Colorado Springs, Moore's girlfriend accused him of raping her. Sports Illustrated would later highlight the case in a July 1995 article on athletes and domestic violence.
Moore was charged with sexual assault, but not convicted. The jury came back deadlocked, the June 1995 trial ending in a mistrial. The case itself then ended as Moore pleaded guilty later to misdemeanor assault.
Moore played 1995 with the Reds between AAA Indianapolis and AA Chattanooga. He then made Cincinnati for 23 outings in 1996. He went 3-3, with a 5.81 ERA and saved two.
Moore continued playing in the minors and independent ball through 2000. He last played affiliated ball at AAA Syracuse in 1999 and in independent ball at independent Zion and Yuma in 2000.
- Tucson Citizen, Nov. 26, 1992: A new life in the big leagues
- Cincinnati Enquirer, March 31, 1996: Success within striking distance, Part 2
Made the Majors:1,340-33.2%-X
Never Made Majors:2,690-66.8%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:547
10+ Seasons in the Minors:332
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