Get to know No. 8 Draft pick Christian Moore

Following a prodigious junior season with Tennessee, he just led the Volunteers to the College World Series title. Now, he's become an early-first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Here's a look at Christian Moore, who was selected No. 8 overall by the Angels:

FAST FACTS
Position: 2B
Ht/Wt: 6-foot-1/210 pounds
B/T: R/R
DOB: 10/21/2002
College: Tennessee
High School: Suffield Academy (Suffield, Conn.)
Born: Brooklyn, N.Y.
MLB Pipeline ranking: No. 13
MLB Draft selection: No. 8 overall (Angels)

He led Tennessee to its first College World Series title

Moore launched a leadoff home run in the championship game against Texas A&M to cap off a tremendous tournament that culminated in the University of Tennessee's first College World Series title. The 21-year-old second baseman posted a 1.252 OPS with 33 homers during his junior collegiate season for the Volunteers, the best individual offensive season in program history.

A Hall of Fame quarterback was pretty happy about Moore's CWS homer

A rather famous Tennessee alum was in the stands for the College World Series final between the Volunteers and the Aggies. Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, who starred for Tennessee from 1994-97, before going on to an illustrious pro football career with the Colts and Broncos, was seen standing and cheering from the stands following Moore's homer. His Vols would finally win their first CWS title later that afternoon.

He became the second player in College World Series history to hit for the cycle

Moore hit for the cycle in the opening round contest against Florida State on June 14, becoming only the second player to ever do so in the College World Series -- the only other time it happened was in 1956, when Minnesota's Jerry Kindall did it against Ole Miss. Moore even added a fifth hit -- a double -- and scored the tying run in the ninth inning of a wild 12-11 win.

Moore hit more homers than a Hall of Famer

With his single-season school record of 33 home runs in 2024, Moore finished with 60 in his collegiate career -- that's a Tennessee record, too, which means he smashed more homers for the Vols than Todd Helton, who played there from 1993-95. Helton was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024, following a 17-year career with the Rockies.

Not only was Helton an outstanding baseball player for the Volunteers in the early 1990s, but he was also the school's starting quarterback ahead of Manning prior to being hurt.

He isn't the first member of his family to be drafted by a Major League team

Moore's older brother, C.J., was selected by the D-backs in the 13th round of the 2014 Draft out of high school.

The greatest baseball player of all time?

That's what Moore has said he wants to be, and the man he considers to be the best ever right now is Derek Jeter -- not because Jeter had the best individual stats, but because he won five World Series rings.

"If you are the greatest of all time, you’ve got wins," Moore told the Knoxville News Sentinel.