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The Phillies are not winning on the MLB field at the moment. But today they won a much different game: the draft game. It has been reported that they have inked their first overall pick, Mickey Moniak. The signing might not be surprising—as, say, JD Drew signing would have been—but, nevertheless, we can all exhale that they Phillies will infuse some value backwards into last season’s midwest ambrosiac sangria of a performance. (Backwards infusion works for memories only, not a valid way to improve your homemade cocktails.)
Moniak is an exciting prospect because he is unusually polished for a high school player, especially on defense. His ceiling might not be hall-of-fame level. But he has a high floor with a perennial all-star ceiling. That’s a good prospect. For more about him, read Cormican’s pre-draft scouting report. It will make you smile.
The Phillies will hold a presser to announce the signing tomorrow at 2 PM EST. Extremely reliable sources indicate that Moniak’s signing bonus will $6.1M, which is a couple hundred-thousand below the 2nd overall pick and almost $3M under the amount slotted for the 1st overall pick by MLB. This means the Phillies could double the slot value for Kevin Gowdy (pick 2.1) and have plenty left over to sign their remaining unsigned picks, including lefthanded prep bat Josh Stephens.
We should expect Moniak to start in rookie-ball with Gulf Coast League Phillies once it starts, which, conveniently enough, is Friday.
Despite an underwhelming pool of talent in the draft, the Phillies are navigating their way to an excellent recruitment season. While the present has turned dingy again, the future shines brighter with each passing day.