First overall pick Mickey Moniak carries the pressure of being the shiny new toy in the Phillies farm system that we just can’t play with yet. With so much pressure comes inconsistencies, which is what we’ve seen thus far.
Fresh out of high school, Mickey Moniak has had a productive start to his professional baseball career. During interviews he sounds mature beyond his years, and extremely knowledgable of both the organization’s history and potential future.
In 46 games this season Moniak is hitting .284 with 11 doubles, four triples, and one home run. He’s shown his value on the base-pads, swiping 10/14 already this season.
He’s primarily been slotted in the leadoff hitter in the Phillies GCL line-up, where he’s hitting .306 with four doubles.
When breaking down Moniak’s tape, it’s clear the coaching staff has made some minor adjustments to his stance. In high school Moniak would slightly bend his knees when getting set. Now his stance is reminiscent of Shane Victorino’s; very upright and natural looking. His hands are also slightly lower, and his leg kick is not as dramatic.
Looking at Moniak’s spray chart, a lot of his hits are driven up the middle of the field.
Another 2B for @Phillies #2 Moniak. 3-for-5, 2 2B, 3B on the day. Lotta stuff ⬅️ ↖️ and ⬆️. https://t.co/w3oPN2GPr5 pic.twitter.com/aLkM5J3iyv
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 25, 2016
In the field primarily as a center fielder, Moniak has made just one error all season.
However, not everything is going Mickey Moniaks’ way thus far. His 35 strikeouts are not great, especially considering he only has walked 11 times. The Phillies development staff will certainly be working on helping him balance that out.
Over his last 10 games, Moniak is hitting just .231 with 11 strikeouts and two walks.
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He’s also hit much better on the road than in the comforts of his home stadium. On the road, Moniak is hitting .337, compared to just .222 in the Phillies park. Additionally, 8 of his 11 doubles have come on the road.
To be fair to Moniak, 46 games as an 18-year-old will not define his baseball career. As the first overall pick, a lot of pressure is on Mickey Moniak to be the next Pat Burrell/Jimmy Rollins/Chase Utley type of player to lead a franchise to a championship.
He’s already ranked as the second-best prospect in the Phillies minor league system, soon to be number one when J.P. Crawford eventually cements his role in Philadelphia. For now, we can only wait and watch to see if Moniak can help lead the next generation of Phillies stars to a World Series championship.