After a terrific Spring Training, former #1 overall draft pick Mickey Moniak earned a spot on the Phillies Opening Day roster. It was just four days ago that the 23-year-old got the news.
He responded to that news by hitting two home runs.
Moniak hit .371 with a 1.286 OPS in 14 Spring Training games. He looked to be the starting centerfielder on Opening Day. Now, he won’t see baseball action until May.
In the last game of Spring Training, Mickey Moniak got hit on the hand by Ryan Yarbrough. He was taken out of the game as a precaution. After the game, he received an X-ray that came back negative.
Today, reports emerged that Moniak had a hairline fracture in his right hand. He will miss the first 6 weeks of the season. Matt Vierling will almost certainly be the Opening Day centerfielder.
It’s a tough blow for Moniak. The former highly-touted prospect had made major adjustments after struggling in his first few major league appearances. He had hit just .128 in 55 career PA.
With Moniak now injured on top of Odubel Herrera, the Phillies are extremely thin at centerfield. The only other Phillies player on the 40-man roster with centerfield experience (excluding Bryce Harper) is Simon Muzziotti.
Muzziotti is now expected to join the Phillies roster for Opening Day.
Muzziotti is the Phillies’ 15th best prospect according to MLB.com. Similar to Moniak, Muzziotti had a good Spring Training. He hit .375 in five games. In 2021, he hit .296 across, essentially, every Phillies’ minor league level.
He’s got advanced contact skills but almost no power.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
