Mickey Moniak, a high school outfielder from California, was selected first by the Phillies on Thursday night in the Major League Baseball draft. The Phillies are short right now at the major league level at the corner outfield spots, but do have a few outfield prospects in the pipeline right now – Nick Williams, Dylan Cozens and Cornelius Randolph, last year’s top draft pick – in the system that they seem pretty high about.
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First high school outfielder to be selected No. 1 since Tampa Bay drafted Delmon Young in 2003.
Puk is listed at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds and said to throw a high-90s fastball. His grandfather, Bill Moniak, played for the Boston Red Sox. Brady Aiken, Tyler Kolek, Mark Appel, Danny Hultzen, Dylan Bundy and Kohl Stewart are all examples of pitchers taken in the top five since 2011 who have had slow starts to their careers, either because of injury or ineffectiveness.
The A’s used the sixth pick in the draft Thursday to draft a player that many thought might go first in the draft, left-handed starting pitcher A.J. Puk out of Florida. Reed, a speedy center fielder, is batting.255 with four home runs and 32 RBIs this season. Or, they could, instead, opt to enroll at a community college and be eligible for next year’s draft in the hopes of being picked in the first round again next year by a different team. Long before the draft, he bet La Costa Canyon High School teammate Ethan Abrams that he’d go in the top 10.
“Collectively, we believe Mickey was the best player available in the draft”, Johnny Almaraz, the Phillies head of amateur scouting, told CSN Philly.
Delvin Perez, a shortstop from the International Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico, also dropped after being mentioned as a possible top-5 pick.
Was in conversation to go first overall.
“I’ve seen the movie “Moneyball, ” that’s about it, ” he said when asked about his knowledge of Oakland.
Puk had a 3.21 ERA in 70 innings for Florida this year. In an 0-0 count, the pitcher makes a good pitch on the outside corner, let them have it. (New York), 6-3, 170. Has twin brother Ben, a catcher who is committed to play at Binghamton next year.
Three picks before Groome was taken, Detroit went with a familiar name by selecting California high school righty Matt Manning. Atlanta took Shenendehowa (NY) high school third baseman Ian Anderson third.
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He is a very mature student of the game who created his own training regimen and earned a gold medal with Team USA at the Under 18 Baseball World Cup. The draft will continue on Friday and wrap up Saturday.
