Phillies: Five position players to watch in spring training

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 18: Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with Maikel Franco #7 after his home run against Zack Wheeler #45 of the New York Mets in the first inning during their game at Citi Field on April 18, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

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CLEARWATER, FL – FEBRUARY 19: Mickey Moniak #78 of the Philadelphia Phillies poses for a photo during the Phillies’ photo day on February 19, 2019 at Carpenter Field in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

Mickey Moniak

The Phillies first overall pick in the 2016 Amateur Draft has his eyes set on the coveted “top prospect” role, now that Sixto Sanchez has been sent to Miami. Yet, the young outfielder struggled mightily in his A ball (Clearwater) debut, with his ability to get on base being the most notable limitation.

Nobody expected Moniak to be a powerhouse at the plate, but an OPS of .687 is not going to cut it. However, I believe that he’ll develop fast. He’s younger than the average player at that level by less than three years after coming straight from high school, and his second half production shows that he can make the adjustments to his game.

The biggest thing I want to see out of Moniak this spring is his pitch selection and patience at the plate. At 20 years old, he can put on the weight and strength with the appropriate nutrition program. But until he does, he needs to be able to get on base. Just 22 walks last year over 433 at-bats isn’t going to cut it when you only hit five HR.

Moniak has the ability to be a top of the lineup-type player if he can get his OBP into the .350 range and hit around .280. I think, as I’m sure the Phillies do, that his ceiling is multiple-year All-Star level player. What he needs to focus on is the art of discipline at the plate, so that he can display his full array of abilities.