Members of the Phillies front office saw Moniak on numerous occasions this spring. “Outfielder, one of my favorite all-time players growing up”.
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Standing 6-foot-4, CJ Chatham doesn’t look like a shortstop, but that is what he’s played at Florida Atlantic and that is what the Red Sox see him playing in the future as the team used their second-round selection on the 21-year-old Thursday night in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.
With Jefferies and Cumberland each hearing their name on draft night, a Cal player was selected in the Major League Baseball Draft for the ninth year in a row and 47th time in the last 48 years. “I’m happy with the way it played out”. It looks like they got their guy.
WHO ELSE IS THERE?: Each of baseball’s 30 teams has a former player and/or current member of its front office representing them at the draft. He is the first player drafted out of Puerto Rico in the first round since Carlos Correa was selected No. 1 overall in 2012. He has a No. 2 ceiling, according to MLB.com, and a higher floor than most high school pitchers.
Now it’s time to get a contract done and take advantage of an opportunity few players will ever have.
Due to Moniak’s age, he remains a few years away from the majors, but it may not be long until Phillies fans see him, J.P. Crawford, Nick Williams, Maikel Franco, Aaron Nola and Jake Thompson forming the core of the next Phillies victor.
But, Moniak’s decision will likely be tougher. One of those prospects is right-hander pitcher Kevin Gowdy.
By finishing last season with a 63-99 record, the Phillies earned the first overall pick in the draft. He also has a commitment to UCLA. “To be the No. 1 pick, it’s insane”.
Moniak is 6-2, 180 pounds. After hitting no home runs in his junior season, Moniak blasted seven previous year and added 12 triples. In four varsity seasons, he hit.390 with 105 RBIs and 105 runs scored.
“I thrive on the big stage”, he said. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs. a lot of hard, hard work”.
An army of Phillies scouts watched Moniak this season and during the showcase season last summer. And if he can prove himself at the next level, the Red Sox will have gotten a bargain.
Lake Minneola infielder Drew Mendoza, an FSU commit, is the area’s top high-school prospect but reportedly had signability issues. His hitting coach was Ted Williams for a while. So that’s been huge in my development as a baseball player.
“I try to not pay attention to it too much”, he told the3rdmanin.com.
Big and strong, Puk arguably has the best raw stuff of any arm in the class, with the chance to have three plus pitches.
Zach Eflin was scratched from a minor-league start Wednesday, generating chatter that it was to ready him to replace Velasquez in the Phils’ rotation.
“The pitcher is never going to beat you”. Maybe that bet isn’t worth it to him just yet, not when someone danges $4-plus million in front of him right now. He has always been called Mickey, fitting because of his admiration for the original Mick. “There was no projection with Mickey Moniak”.
Instead, he had to wait until the Red Sox stopped his fall with the 12th overall pick, banking that his talent will supersede the warts that let him drop to them. Pat Burrell was the other in 1998 – the year Moniak was born.
SECAUCUS, N.J. After all the uncertainty surrounding the No. 1 pick, the Philadelphia Phillies think theyve got themselves a sure thing. It’s definitely a huge honor.
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Moniak said he would feel no pressure trying to live up the lofty pick. We do think he’s more than just a contact oriented hitter. That’s all you’ve got to focus on.
