Philadelphia Phillies 2018 top prospect rankings: Nos. 6-10
By John Town
![WILLIAMSPORT, PA - AUGUST 20: A general view as the Pittsburgh Pirates play the St. Louis Cardinals in the inaugural MLB Little League Classic at BB WILLIAMSPORT, PA - AUGUST 20: A general view as the Pittsburgh Pirates play the St. Louis Cardinals in the inaugural MLB Little League Classic at BB](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fthatballsouttahere-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F11-2F836002720-mlb-little-league-classic-st-louis-cardinals-v-pittsburgh-pirates-jpg-850x560-9bd7c2e0b2d1ca8efa126a844c6e9b96.jpg)
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.