That Balls Outta Here
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Phillies prospect Mickey Moniak falls off MLB.com Top 100

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 05: A general view of Citizens Bank Park during the national anthem before the game between the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies on April 5, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 05: A general view of Citizens Bank Park during the national anthem before the game between the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies on April 5, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /
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After a poor start to the 2018 season, Phillies prospect and 2016 No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak has completely fallen off MLB.com’s Top 100 prospect list.

Being the Phillies first-round pick and No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft means Mickey Moniak will always have high expectations set for him. When he was drafted, the team said he has the potential to be a four-tool, if not a five-tool player in the major leagues.

Almost two years later, there are significant doubts about if he even has a major-league future. After a disappointing 2017 season in Low-A Lakewood, Moniak dropped down or completely off many top prospect lists. Thanks to another disappointing start, he is falling even further out of favor.

MLB.com updated their Top 100 prospect list Tuesday, changing the order and adding a few players. Moniak was one of the two players to fall completely off the list along with Colorado’s Riley Pint. This is what Jim Callis had to say about Moniak’s fall:

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"The No. 1 overall pick in 2016 created concerns about how much impact he’ll have after hitting .236/.284/.341 in Class A last year, and they’re increasing now that he’s batting .222/.233/.265 in Class A Advanced."

As Callis mentioned, Moniak’s numbers have been extremely poor this season. Anthony Alford is the only Top 100 prospect with a lower OPS than Moniak’s this season.

Moniak has just two walks and 31 strikeouts in 116 plate appearances this year.

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Both this year and last year, Moniak has pulled the ball considerably. The team has been trying to get him to do this to put more power in his swing, but coming out of high school he was a better opposite field hitter. When he hit the ball the opposite way after he was drafted, he had a .284 batting average and .749 OPS in the Gulf Coast League. Perhaps allowing him to return to that shift will produce better results.

Moniak’s struggles at the plate are so concerning because a lot of his value as a prospect comes from his potential plus hitting tool. It’s what made him the No. 1 overall pick and got so many people excited about him. If he can’t hit at that level, his ceiling drops considerably.

Next: Jerad Eickhoff's future murky amid rehab

Moniak needs a serious offensive turnaround to return to top prospect conversation. When the team lists are re-issued midway through this season, Moniak will likely be far lower on Philadelphia’s.

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