Phillies 2021 Spring Training Preview: Position Players

Mickey Moniak

One of the more interesting prospects for the Phillies is former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak.

Moniak has had a lot of pressure and spotlight on him for not being the instant 19-year-old superstar fans thought he would be, but when you look at his development, it’s actually going pretty well.

Moniak in 2019 at 21 years old played the full season in Double-A and played well, 115 wRC+, 11 home runs, and a .741 OPS. These are pretty good numbers for a very young player in Double-A so fans shouldn’t give up on him right away.

Moniak also was called up late into the 2020 season and had a .389 OBP in 18 at-bats. It is not at all sustainable compared to the rest of his minor league career nonetheless he brought some value as a young kid who was clearly not ready for the Major’s (which is ok).

My best guess for Moniak in 2021 is he spends most of the season in Triple-A, if he plays really well he could be up in 2021, but it is not entirely likely. It would have to be a perfect situation for him and a pretty bad situation for the Phillies in 2021.

Moniak should be in the Phillies long-term plans, and I would guess the Phillies long-term Center Fielder although there is a possibility he is not. What we need to look for is how he develops this off-season and in Triple-A, maybe he is a September call-up for them, and in that case, we can see his potential improvements at the big league level.