1. Mickey Moniak, OF
Birthdate: 5/13/98 (18 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: rookie
Stats in 2016: .284/.340/.409, 1 HR, 10 SB
It’s a tough thing to surpass a top 10 overall prospect on a list, even for the #1 overall selection, but Moniak certainly showed everything he would need to in order to make that sort of jump in 2016.
Moniak was a guy who got invites to the summer showcases last summer as a guy who was likely considered a back-end first-round selection type, but then he showed up and hit everything, caught everything, and he seemed to just have all kinds of baseball “feel.”
Moniak offensively is a guy who has a plus hit tool and plus speed that he uses exceptionally well already. He does a solid job of getting an extra base on balls to the outfield consistently.
Moniak’s best present attribute is his center field defense, and many believe that he will project as a Gold Glove caliber defender in center field. He makes excellent reads on the ball and runs tremendous routes, especially for a high schooler. His arm is average, but he plays it up with very high-level accuracy.
Moniak has an athletic build that can be expected to add some power as he progresses.
The Phillies could end up moving Moniak straight to full-season ball in 2017, but he would skip over advanced rookie and the New York-Penn League to get to low-A, and that could be fairly aggressive. However, finishing 2017 in a full-season league would not surprise anyone at all.
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