Right fielder takes pride in throwing

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, 51s right fielder Moises Sierra patterned his game after former All-Star and fellow countryman Raul Mondesi.

Possessing a powerful right arm and bat and sporting a No. 43 jersey, Sierra shares several similarities with his boyhood idol.

"I like Mondesi because he played hard, and I play hard, too," the 23-year-old Sierra said. "Mondesi (had) a good arm. He (could) run. He did everything."

Beginning his first season in Triple A, the 6-foot, 225-pound Sierra has a long way to go to match Mondesi's accomplishments -- which included the 1994 National League Rookie of the Year and two Gold Glove awards in a 13-year career.

But the seventh-year pro has made steady progress, climbing a level each season and earning acclaim along the way. Baseball America has rated Sierra the "best outfield arm" in the Blue Jays' organization.

"He probably has the best outfield arm in all of baseball. His arm's unbelievable," said Las Vegas' strong-armed center fielder, Anthony Gose, rated the Blue Jays' "best defensive outfielder." "From up against the right-field wall, he'll throw a guy out at third."

Coming off a breakout season at Double-A New Hampshire in which he had 11 outfield assists, Sierra is batting .240 (6-for-25) for the 51s (2-5) with four RBIs and a team-leading two home runs.

Ranked Toronto's 15th-best prospect, the right-handed hitter went 1-for-4 with an RBI double and made a running, shoestring catch in the third inning of Wednesday's 14-4 win over Fresno at Cashman Field.

"He's an extremely talented player. He runs well, and he's got a tremendous arm," Las Vegas manager Marty Brown said. "It's basically just about consistency with the bat and how he continues to grow as a hitter at this level.

"I think his power will play very well in this league. I'm anxious to see how he finishes out the year."

After injuries limited him to 20 games in 2010, Sierra batted .277 for the Eastern League champion Fisher Cats last season, setting career highs for homers (18), RBIs (67), hits (137) and runs (81) en route to EL All-Star honors.

"Concentration, man. That's the key," he said.

The easygoing Sierra said he's also striving this season to stay focused on the field, where he has made two errors on overthrows.

"I need to control my arm," he said. "I don't need to throw hard every time. That's my problem. I throw hard every play. If you're quick, that's better. I need to learn that."

While Brown said Sierra and Gose have two of the best arms in the Pacific Coast League, he added they need to learn to stay within themselves.

"Both of them have to understand it's not about just throwing guys out all the time. It's about making sure you go through the cutoff man fundamentally," he said. "For this level and the next level, hitting the cutoff men is very important.

"You cannot allow a runner to advance a base because you overthrow somebody just because you're trying to throw somebody out."

Like Mondesi, who led the NL in outfield assists twice and the American League once, Sierra has piled up plenty of assists -- a combined 35 in his past three full seasons.

Brown has been impressed with Sierra's hustle and is confident he'll work out his issues in the outfield.

"It comes with experience, and Moises will figure it out," he said. "It's just going to take some time."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.