Skip to main content

2018 Phillies Prospects Countdown: #4 OF Mickey Moniak

Mickey Moniak, image- Jay Floyd
Taken with the first overall selection in the 2016 MLB amateur draft, outfielder Mickey Moniak has garnered loads of attention with many eyes watching closely, in hopes he can live up to the high expectations that come with being such a high pick.

After signing out of La Costa Canyon High School for a reported $6.1 million, the lefty batting Moniak had a very good professional debut.

In 46 games with the Phillies' Gulf Coast League team, Moniak sported a .284 batting average with 11 doubles, four triples, a home run and 28 RBI.  He also showed some speed, swiping 10 bases in 14 opportunities.

Following the regular season, Moniak participated in the Florida Instructional League and spent time at the Phillies' training facility in Clearwater, where he worked to add strength and muscle to his six-foot-two 185-pound frame.

In 2017, as a member of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, Moniak tallied a .236 batting average with five home runs, 44 RBI and 11 stolen bases.  Coaches were pleased with the 19-year-old's output for the Claws, despite some fans already feeling like he is a bust based on last year's production.  Progress throughout the season was there in the eyes of the Phillies even though Moniak's stats (.721 first half OPS vs. .525 second half OPS) didn't prove the point.

His hitting coach last year, Nelson Prada, suggested that perhaps Moniak was chasing pitches out of the zone at times, due to statistical struggles impacting his approach.

At the plate, Moniak, who was committed to playing at UCLA prior to the 2016 draft, makes hard contact.  The California native is touted as a line drive hitter that can stroke the ball to all fields.

Described as a natural on the baseball field Moniak has the make up to be a strong performer that leads by example and showed enough last year, competing against much older pitchers with college experience, that coaches are confident he's still going to hit very well as a professional.

Moniak is a great contributor on defense as well, displaying solid range and a strong arm in center field.

He won't be the quickest player on most teams, but he will be speedy enough to help out with some steals.

It's possible Moniak will open the coming season back with Lakewood, but could move up to Class A Advanced Clearwater this year.


You can keep track of this year's Phillies prospect countdown at this link.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rappers in Phillies Caps

Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal...

PhoulBallz Q&A with Mike Stutes

Mike Stutes completes "The Reading Phils Mike Tri-fecta" over three days, here on PhoulBallz.com. Stutes, a 22 year old, was an 11th round selection by the Phillies in the 2008 amateur draft. Stutes, a right handed starting pitcher, helped lead Oregon State to the College World Series championship in both 2006 and 2007. Stutes and teammate Vance Worley are the first players to begin a season at Reading the year after being drafted since Pat Burrell did it in 1999. Stutes was the Phils' minor league pitcher of the month in August '08, when he went 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 6 starts. Check out my Q&A with the third Mike below. Can I get you to talk about the coaching staff and how they help you deal with ups and downs? They've been real positive with me. I started out good and then I hit a rough patch. They've stuck with me through it all. I haven't heard any negative words from them. Every day they try to come out, work with me, try to get me turned around...

PhoulBallz Q&A with Jordan Ellis

Jordan Ellis is currently a relief pitcher for the Single-A level affiliate of the Phillies, the Lakewood BlueClaws. Drafted in the 28th round of the 2008 amateur draft out of Villanova University, Ellis got his pro career off to a great start with a 3-0 record and 3.00 ERA for short season Williamsport in 2008. He spent time with Lakewood last year also, as he posted a 4-4 record with a 6.42 ERA in 17 games. This season, Ellis landed in the BlueClaws' closer spot after teammate Josh Zeid experienced some tough outings. Through 23 games in 2010, Ellis is 2-2 with 4 saves and a 2.73 ERA. I spoke with Jordan recently and that interview lies ahead. Jordan, you've had a solid season thus far. What do you attribute to your success thus far in 2010? The biggest thing is just trying to be consistent. I had an up and down season last year, and the biggest thing coming into this season was, obviously, to rebound and be consistent with my mechanics and on the mound. And that's really...