Philadelphia Phillies 2018 top prospect rankings: Nos. 6-10
By John Town
No. 8: Outfielder Mickey Moniak
Development is rarely a straight, upwards line for Phillies first-round picks, and Mickey Moniak is no exception. After a solid debut in the Gulf Coast League last year, Moniak skipped short-season Williamsport and went right to Low-A Lakewood despite still being just 18 years old when the season started.
Moniak had a decent start to the season with a respectable .279/.333/.413 line through May. His numbers completely fell off from there as he had a .209/.252/.296 line the rest of the season. Moniak reached an ultimate low point once August rolled around as he had a .429 OPS from then until the season ended.
Despite his struggles, Moniak still possesses many of the same tools that made him the No. 1 overall pick last year. He posts average or better attributes across the board. He strayed from his strong approach towards the end of the year to try and get a hit, which only worsened his numbers. If he can return to that approach, the hits will come. Moniak also needs to continue to add strength to both last a full season as well as improve his power at the plate.
Moniak may not be as quick of a riser as originally thought, but it is still far too early to give up on him. Despite that, his poor numbers force a drop in the rankings.