Philadelphia Phillies: Evaluating Mickey Moniak’s Make-up

Mickey Moniak

The Philadelphia Phillies selected high school outfielder, Mickey Moniak, with the number one overall pick in the draft this year. As we all know, being the number one pick brings along with it some lofty expectations.

That being said, what can Phillies fans expect out of Moniak through his development in the minors over the next few years?

Although many scouts may disagree about what his ceiling is, all of them seem to agree on one thing and that is, he will stay in centerfielder throughout his career.

Any draft pick has both risk and upside. Drafting a guy like Moniak is a bit safer in that, a GM or coach won’t needed to worry about how he fairs at another position. Much like they did last year, when they drafted Cornelius Randolph who played shortstop in high school but upon being drafted was moved to left field.

The one big worry when it comes to Moniak’s make-up has to do with wondering if he’ll ever manage to hit for average power.

Many scouts including ESPN Insider, Keith Law, believe there isn’t much room in Moniak’s swing to generate power. That, along with a relatively lean frame, makes it hard to envision the 18-year-old ever developing any power in the majors.

Still, there are other scouts that believe he has the potential to reach quality power. Some would even go as far as saying he has the ability to be above average when he gets to the big leagues to go with his above average hit tool. Very few scouts, though, actually think he’ll reach plus power.

One comparison that has made its way through the analyst is Marlins outfielder, Christian Yelich. Yelich plays his position quite well, hits for contact, and lacks in power. All of these are the same qualities that have been given to Moniak by scouts.

With Moniak’s ability to hit for average, if he is even capable of being an average power hitter in the MLB, the Phillies will undoubtedly have a star in their line-up when the time comes.

Obviously, this is years of speculation that is being made. After all, the likelihood of Moniak making it to the majors within three years seems extremely unlikely, even with rapid progression through the Phillies system.

Still, Moniak possesses a lot of tools to be a big leaguer. As long as he keeps working hard and gaining experience Moniak should be a pretty good ballplayer when it’s all said and done.