The Philadelphia Phillies, despite a recent run that has put them out of the NL East basement, have struggled to get production out of a corner outfield spot.
The Phillies have surged to a 38-33 record after Rob Thomson’s firing. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have holes on the roster.
Free agent signing Adolis Garcia was slashing .195/.270/.329 before he went down with a season-threatening torn lat.
With Johan Rojas’ season-ending surgery on his elbow, there are no experienced internal options for Philadelphia. Therefore, Philadelphia may have to go to the trade market for a substitute.
Dayn Perry of CBS Sports names former Philadelphia No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak as an option for the Phillies.
What Would Moniak Bring to the Philadelphia Phillies?
The Phillies selected Moniak with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft out of high school.
He would quickly become one of the top prospects in the game. However, inconsistencies in the minors saw his stock fall quickly, leading to his not making an MLB debut until the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
In two-plus years with Philadelphia, the results were poor to say the least. Through 47 games, he had a .386 OPS.
In 2022, Philadelphia traded Moniak to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Noah Syndergaard.
Overall, in Los Angeles, he was still a below-average hitter, but not nearly as bad as he was with Philadelphia.
He was released by the Angels after the 2024 season and picked up by the Colorado Rockies. While his defense was poor, he would break out with 24 home runs and an .824 OPS in 2025. He has continued that into 12 home runs and a .924 OPS in 2026.
While generally not the best fielder, he has improved his defense from a -8 Outs Above Average in 2025 to +0 OAA in 2026, per Baseball Savant.
Why Would This Make Sense?
While Philadelphia might not like the sound of this, given the unpleasant taste left in the mouth of fans from his first stint, this could be the best bang for your buck for president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
But is he just a product of the high altitude in Colorado?
According to Perry, Moniak’s numbers are not inflated enough by Coors Field to worry fans that his breakout isn’t sustainable.
“He’s batting a robust .280/.335/.607 in 164 plate appearances with time spent at all three outfield positions,” Perry wrote. “Yes, Coors Field helps the case, but park-adjust his OPS, and it’s still 46% better than the league average. He’s got plus bat speed and a knack for barreling the ball. As well, Moniak has become elite at pulling the ball in the air, which is the surest path to production at the plate.”
Because he’s putting the ball in the air at an elite rate, fans shouldn’t be worried that his second stint would go badly as well.
Moniak will be under team control through 2027, and could be the solution to the Phillies’ outfield woes.
With Brandon Marsh practically the only outfielder producing on the team, the Phillies need a shot of energy into this squad. And Moniak could definitely bring that.
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