Mickey Moniak Returns to Citizens Bank Park During Breakout Season
The Los Angeles Angels travel to Citizens Bank Park for a three-game set this week. Former Philadelphia Phillies number-one overall pick Mickey Moniak will be in the outfield for the visitors.
The Phillies dealt Moniak and Single-A outfielder Jadiel Sanchez and Noah Syndergaard on August 2, 2022. They also completed a separate trade with the Angels, sending catcher Logan O’Hoppe for centerfielder Brandon Marsh.
It’s impossible to look at these two trades completely separate from each other, and the career paths of the two young outfielders involved are the most intriguing.
Mickey Moniak
The “draft bust” label weighed heavily on Moniak during his time in the Phillies organization. Fan perception of the top pick in the 2016 MLB Draft soured when underwhelming reports of his progress in the minors came out on a regular basis.
He struck out 41 times in 105 plate appearances once he reached the majors. The struggle to make contact made it difficult for the Phillies to justify giving him consistent at-bats.
However, Moniak has hit his stride at age 25 after the change of scenery. He’s hitting .277 with .800 OPS in 76 games for the Angels in 2023.
Objectively speaking, the Phillies failed to develop a number-one overall talent, and another organization succeeded with the same prospect.
From April 2016 to June 2017, Philly's teams had five athletes drafted Nos. 1 and 2 in their respective drafts:
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) August 2, 2022
Carson Wentz (No. 2, 2016)
Mickey Moniak (No. 1, 2016)
Ben Simmons (No. 1, 2016)
Markelle Fultz (No. 1, 2017)
Nolan Patrick (No. 2, 2017)
All five are now gone.
Brandon Marsh
Dave Dombrowski identified the need for the 2022 Phillies to improve their outfield defense in between Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. He pulled the trigger and dealt O’Hoppe to plug an immediate hole. While Marsh certainly hasn’t been a Gold Glove centerfield since the trade, he has the opportunity to better maximize his talent if he remains with the Phillies long term.
Would the Phillies have reached the 2022 World Series without the decision to address an immediate hole? Marsh only hit .179 during the postseason, but his three-run home run in Game 4 of the NLDS helped build the momentum of the home crowd that helped the Phillies reach the Fall Classic.
Marsh hit .239 in 583 career plate appearances in Los Angeles, but he has flourished in 2023. His .289 batting average has solidified the bottom of the order for the Phillies. An .847 OPS far exceeds his career average, providing unexpected power.
Who Won The Trade(s)?
The set of trades might ultimately benefit both organizations in a way that isn’t common in professional sports.
O’Hoppe has only appeared in 22 games for the Angels, and there’s no legitimate barometer for his long-term performance. Syndergaard provided a serviceable option at the back end of Philadelphia’s starting rotation for the remainder of the 2022 regular season. His limited postseason work certainly wasn’t the reason the Phillies didn’t finish the job. Sanchez was a minor piece in the deal who hasn’t advanced past Single-A.
Moniak is a considerable draft bust of the failed Matt Klentak rebuild. However, most Philadelphia fans have no real venom for him.
His success doesn’t affect Marsh and the excellent season he’s had in 2023. It might be one black mark on Philadelphia’s minor league development, but it doesn’t erase the positive progress the organization has made since hiring Preston Mattingly as their farm director in September 2021.
Fans will always wonder what could’ve been if the Phillies hadn’t moved Ferguson Jenkins or Ryne Sandberg early in their respective careers before they blossomed into Hall of Famers. However, they don’t have to lump Mickey Moniak into the same category.
The pursuit of a World Series with Brandon Marsh as a full-time starter is the priority. If they achieve that goal, a busted number-one pick becomes an irrelevant footnote in the history of the organization.
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