A former Philadelphia Phillies top prospect has signed a last second deal with a team in the National League.
A former Philadelphia Phillies highly-regarded prospect has landed with a new team in the National League on the eve of Opening Day.
As first reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, outfielder Mickey Moniak has agreed to a Major League deal with the Colorado Rockies, which is set to pay him $1.25 million just days after his release from the Los Angeles Angels.
With under half a million owed to him by the Angels in termination pay, Moniak is set to make $1.734 million this season playing for a team who won just 61 games last year.
Whether or not Moniak is in the Opening Day lineup when the Rockies take on the Tampa Bay Rays remains to be seen, though he did play virtually a full spring for Los Angeles, so he should be ready to go.
Moniak’s career with the Phillies was a significant disappointment after he was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft straight out of high school and became the team’s top prospect.
Eventually making his debut during the 2020 season at the age of 22, he only wound up playing in 47 games for Philadelphia before they traded him to the Angels during the 2022 season in the deal for Noah Syndergaard.
During his short-lived tenure with the team that drafted him, Moniak slashed a disastrous .129/.214/.172 with just one home run and five RBI.
Things improved a bit for Moniak once he was traded, and his 2023 season was actually fairly promising. In 85 games that year, he slashed .280/.307/.495 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI, but he took another step back in 2024 when he got the chance to play 124 games with a slash line of .219/.266/.380.
Eventually making his debut during the 2020 season at the age of 22, he only wound up playing in 47 games for Philadelphia before they traded him to the Angels during the 2022 season in the deal for Noah Syndergaard.
During his short-lived tenure with the team that drafted him, Moniak slashed a disastrous .129/.214/.172 with just one home run and five RBI.
Things improved a bit for Moniak once he was traded, and his 2023 season was actually fairly promising. In 85 games that year, he slashed .280/.307/.495 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI, but he took another step back in 2024 when he got the chance to play 124 games with a slash line of .219/.266/.380.
Seeing the former top prospect get another chance in the Major Leagues is hardly a surprise given the attraction of adding a former No. 1 pick. Moniak’s demonstrated ability to excel against right-handed pitching is also a plus, though it seems his time as an everyday player at this level may be coming to a close.
Perhaps another change of scenery to a hitter-friendly ballpark like Colorado can provide a resurgence for the still young 26-year-old, though Moniak clearly has some work to do if he wants to prove himself.
Ironically, if he does find his way back into the lineup, it won’t be long before Philadelphia gets a close look at him with their home opener this coming Monday against the Rockies.
