What should the Detroit Tigers expect from the No. 1 pick?

2016: Mickey Moniak (Philadelphia)

With their first overall pick since Pat Burrell in 1998, the Phillies snagged high school outfielder Mickey Moniak. Unlike many of the others in recent past, Moniak signed quickly.

He spent his entire first season with the GCL Phillies. In 46 games, he hit .284 with 10 stolen bases. Prior to the 2017 season, he ranked as the 17th best prospect in the minors per Baseball America.

Moniak moved up to Class A last year, but saw his numbers dip, slashing .236/.284/.341. The numbers were poor enough that he did not crack Baseball America’s Top 100 list prior to this season. So far in 2018 at High-A Clearwater, his line is even worse, .222/.233/.265.

One of the biggest problems for Moniak has been strikeouts and a lack of walks. Since striking out 18 percent of the time in 2016, his strikeout rate has been on the rise.

His walk rate has been declining too, from a rate that was already low. Moniak walked 5.7 percent of the time in 2016, 5.5 percent in 2017, and 1.7 percent this year.

The strikeout-to-walk ratio has been terrible, too. Through 29 games, he has 33 strikeouts to just two walks. For a guy that hasn’t shown much power (career .345 slugging percentage), ratios like that are nowhere near good enough, even with a strong glove at a premium position.

The Verdict

It is way too early in his development to tell if Moniak is going to be a star, a scrub, or somewhere in between. With that said, the Phillies will be hoping his bat can perk up sooner rather than later. Still, he’s just about to turn 20 and is already in High-A.

As is the case with Detroit Tigers prospect Isaac Paredes, most of the guys he’s playing against are a few years older and more experienced. It isn’t all that surprising someone put in that position would struggle at the plate until he gets more experience under his belt.