Here’s some bench guys! They did things!

The numbers

Kyle Garlick - .136/.174/.182, 23 PA, 0 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 7:0 K:BB
Mickey Moniak - .214/.389/.214, 18 PA, 3 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 6:4 K:BB
Ronald Torreyes - .143/.143/.286, 7 PA, 1 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0:0 K:BB
Neil Walker - .231/.244/.308, 41 PA, 5 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 13:1 K:BB

The good

Minor leaguers making their debut is always a good thing. When they’re the #1 pick in any draft, it’s a doubly good thing because the player the team spent months and manhours scouting, getting to know inside and out, the one who they determined was going to make the major leagues, actually did accomplish that goal of at least ascending to the summit of professional baseball. Mickey Moniak made the major leagues this year, thanks to some injures to the players on the main roster and no matter what you think his future will be, that’s a win for the organization.

He even got his first hit.

The bad

Building up depth was something that was clearly a goal of the team heading into last year’s offseason. They wanted to have more players that could step into the lineup at the drop of a hat and there wouldn’t be too much of a production dropoff.

That goal was somewhat accomplished, but not by these guys.

Moniak, by really any measure, was really not ready for the big leagues. Sure he got a few hits, a few walks sprinkled in a bit, but his defense was...hoo boy.

Yeah, he’s not ready.

The other players - Garlick, Walker and Torreyes - were just placeholders that really lost out on making some money while in the minor leagues thanks to COVID-19. No one really expected much from them outside of maybe Garlick providing a touch of thunder off the bench if needed, but even that would end up being so, so wrong. Another season gone by, another bench in desperate need to better staffing.

The future

Torreyes and Walker are goners. They are fungible and won’t be missed.

Garlick may have some time left in Lehigh Valley if doesn’t land a better job somewhere else.

It’s Moniak that is the future of this lot. He’s going to have to be exposed to the Rule 5 draft this December and with teams being forced to cut back on budgets, that draft could end up playing a big role in teams filling out rosters since the player being chosen are going to be picked up for very little money.

It’s not that he’s ready; he’s clearly not. But there is a chance that perhaps a player like Roman Quinn or even Adam Haseley could be flipped to another team in the hopes of bolstering another spot on the roster and Moniak could take that 5th outfielder spot. He’s not someone you’d want to play with any regularity just yet, but with the team in cost-cutting mode, it’s looking like that possibility exists.