MLB: The Most Overrated Prospects Heading into 2017

Mickey Moniak – 19th

Mickey Moniak was taken first overall in the 2016 first year player draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. At 18 years old, the outfielder has a long way before playing in Philadelphia; however, he has Phillies fans clamouring for his arrival.

Being the number one draft pick is a special honor, however the draft position itself has been rather hit and miss. I know it is a high standard, but only one number overall pick has been inducted to the Hall of Fame. That man being Ken Griffey Jr., you would think there would be more.

Now, I am not saying that Moniak does not have the potential to be one of the highest ranked prospects in the game, I think the MLB is jumping the gun. Moniak is sitting at 19th solely because of his draft position, and I think he cannot be ranked that high before he proves it. In his 46 games in rookie ball nothing really jumped out, he held a .284 average with one home run and 28 runs batted in. Once again, the kid is only 18 so I don’t expect him to be a superstar, but ranking him as a superstar this early is absurd.

Especially considering that Moniak is ranked ahead of proven guys, this seems all the more crazy. I am nowhere against him being a top 100 prospect, but his draft position alone should not justify his ranking. Yes, the kid looks great and shows a lot of promise, but anything can happen and this is far to early to justify. I am sure one day he will live up to the hype and be a top ten prospect, today is not that day.