MLB Draft: Phillies take Mickey Moniak with No. 1 pick

The Philadelphia Phillies selected high school outfielder Mickey Moniak with the No.1 overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft.

Not since the 2003 MLB First-Year Player Draft has a high school outfielder been selected with the first overall pick. That year, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected Delmon Young, who at the time was considered a can’t miss prospect. Though Bryce Harper was technically a high school junior when the Washington Nationals selected him first overall in 2010, he was listed as a JUCO player, after getting his GED and leaving high school to attend the College of Southern Nevada.

This year, the Philadelphia Phillies changed all that and selected Mickey Moniak, a high school outfielder from La Costa Canyon (CA) High School with the first pick. The selection marked the first time the Phillies led off the draft since they took University of Miami product Pat Burrell in 1998. A UCLA-commit, Moniak told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he plans to sign.

“As soon as possible,” Moniak said.

Moniak has tremendous batting ability, and he has added some power to his repertoire in the past year. After hitting no home runs in his junior season, Moniak blasted seven last year and added 12 triples. In total, he hit .476 on the season and drove in 44 runs. If he can continue to progress as a hitter, he could be the kind of player that hits over .300 and is a doubles machine.

The 6-foot-2, 180 pound Moniak hits well to all fields and has great speed out of the left-handed batter’s box. He has all the tools to be able to remain in centerfield, a position his namesake and favorite player Mickey Mantle played throughout his Major League career. The Phillies scouted him pretty hard and are very happy with what they got.

“Collectively, we believe Mickey was the best player available in the Draft,” Phillies amateur scouting director Johnny Almaraz said, via CSN Philly. “He’s a true center fielder with incredible offensive ability and the potential to be a perennial All-Star.”

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Only time will tell if Moniak will develop into the kind of player deserving of the No.1 pick, but without a clear top prospect in this year’s draft, the Phillies selected a player with great tools and sign-ability. This is the second year in a row the Phillies have taken a high school outfielder with their first-round pick. They selected Cornelius Randolph with the 10th overall pick last year.

The 2016 MLB First-Year Player draft will continue Friday with rounds 3-10, before finishing up Saturday with rounds 11-40. 

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