Making an appearance at the winter meetings, Phillies No. 1 pick Mickey Moniak proudly boasted his recent addition of 20 pounds of muscle.
Mickey Moniak had an exciting 2016. After batting .476 with seven home runs in his senior season at La Costa Canyon High, the Phillies made him the No. 1 draft pick in the MLB Draft. He signed for $6.1 million, making him the envy of everyone else he went to school with.
After his incredible senior season, Baseball America named Moniak the high school baseball player of the year. Part of that award included being honored at the MLB winter meetings, and Moniak was recognized Tuesday.
At his appearance, Moniak looked quite different compared to when he was signed. Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly said Moniak “looked sturdy in a dress shirt and tie.” He clocked in at 170 pounds at the draft; he now weighs around 190. Moniak proudly confirmed that it was all muscle.
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It’s safe to say that Moniak likely needed to add muscle. Power was the biggest weak point in his game heading into the draft as he was rail-thin. He hit just one home run in 194 plate appearances with Philadelphia’s Gulf Coast League affiliate in his professional debut.
The lack of muscle also affected Moniak’s durability. He told Salisbury,
"“In August, I started to fatigue and I wasn’t prepared for that, being my first season…I needed to get stronger.”"
Moniak also missed some instructional league action as he suffered from soreness in his right hip. The hope is that this new strength will help prevent future fatigue and injuries.
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Moniak’s increased muscle mass should positively influence most aspects of his game. Obviously his power at the plate should increase. In addition, he will be able to improve what was already a strong arm from center field. It may negatively impact his speed, which would hamper him on the bases and on the field. Even then, he is still skinny enough that the muscle shouldn’t hamper his speed too much.
Looking towards next season, Moniak hopes that he will start the year with Low-A Lakewood. If he does start there, he would likely join a plethora of other top prospects in the system.
Ben Badler of Baseball America said, “Moniak is polished enough that, if the Phillies want to push him, he might even be a candidate to finish the year in High-A, like the Astros did with Kyle Tucker this year.”
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Moniak is already one of the best prospects in the Phils system. This new muscle should only boost his stock as long as he learns how to use it effectively.