Jake Moss of the Williamsport Crosscutters talks with pitcher Bailey Matela in the dugout between innings against Trenton at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

It takes versatility to excel in the MLB Draft League, whether it’s on the mound or at the plate. More often than not, and against the toughest competition that the athletes face, batters and pitchers alike find themselves in situations that they aren’t used to, hoping for a chance to catch the eye of an MLB scout with the Draft beckoning in less than a month’s time.

An example of someone that fits this mold is Jake Moss, who’s been asked for a different and more pressing role then he is used to. At 20 years old, and not set to turn 21 until next month, Moss is already one of the younger athletes on a Crosscutter team with signs of championship aspirations.

But youthful exuberance was met with high expectations, when the Cutters decided to give the Manhasset, New York native a place in the bottom half of a competitive rotation.

This is not the norm for Moss, who just wrapped up his sophomore year with the University of Pennsylvania… as a reliever.

Across 23 career college appearances, the New York native has spent all 23 coming out of the ‘pen, with all four post-high school starts coming as a member of the New Britain Bees in the Futures Collegiate League back in 2023.

“Jesse [Estrada] our pitching coach thought it was good to run him out first,” discussed Williamsport Crosscutter manager Kenny Thomas after Moss’s first start two Saturdays ago.

And his first start couldn’t have gone better. In Williamsport’s home opener and first place early on in the Draft League on the line, Moss pitched four shutout innings in an opener role in which he allowed just one run while striking out four. His early outs provided a platform that led to a Cutters win.

“He settled in, he controlled the game, and that’s what we talk to him about all the time.” Echoed Thomas following the win. “He’s pitched in relief all year and last year, so I would think that was his first thought in several years.”

But Moss’s next assignment in a starting role was an unenviable task last weekend, with the newfound starter taking on the Trenton Thunder.

Trenton’s lineup features an astonishing string of talent at the plate, with Juju Stevens and Michael Wooley first and third in the League in hits, as well as Jacob Poturnak, who leads the league with nine runs batted in.

For additional headaches, there is leadoff man Aaron Whitley, who’s second in the league in steals with six, and Carsten Sabathia, who’s six walks are good for fifth in the league.

And against such competition, Moss predictably struggled, with a clean first two innings negated by a four run third inning, with the New Yorker getting through the third before being pulled.

“I thought Moss was okay,” said Thomas after Saturday’s game. “First two innings he was pretty good.”

From a shadowed perspective, it seemed like a failure of an outing for Moss. But in the context of what he’s worked with and had to deal with, he did what he needed to do in the game.

Williamsport’s bullpen would rally around their starter, with the bullpen allowing just one more run on the day, and the Cutters hitters coming back to win a 6-5 thriller under the floodlights.

“[After the first two innings] he faulted, and from there our bullpen did a fabulous job, you have to give them credit,” concluded Thomas.

There is merit from Moss’s performance on Saturday. Going out, in harsh conditions against some of the best hitters he’s ever faced, and doing just enough for his team to get a win. In a season of adjustments for Moss, while performances like Saturday won’t be highlighted, it represents the difficulties of the Draft League, and what it takes to survive in such a league.