In an attempt to capitalize on the one-year contract of Noah Syndergaard, the Los Angeles Angels made a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies at the deadline this past season, acquiring Mickey Moniak and Single-A prospect Jadiel Sanchez.
Moniak’s time with the Angels started out promising, which is exactly what the front office had hoped for. A change of scenery for a former top prospect in the Phillies’ system who could benefit from a larger landing strip to accumulate experience without as much expectation.
In his first five games as a member of the Angels, Moniak slugged two home runs, but on Aug. 6, he fractured his middle finger in a bunt attempt which forced him to hit the injured list. He was activated a month later, appearing in 14 games from Sept. 9 to Sept. 28, but unfortunately he couldn’t gather much momentum.
In 46 at-bats to wrap up the season, Moniak batted .174 with one homer, three RBI, with a 20-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. On the season, he compiled a .170/.207/.302 slash in his time with the Angels and Phillies during the 2022 year, good for a 42 OPS+.
Mickey Moniak 2022 highlight
On Sept. 13, Moniak logged his best start with the Angels in their game against the Cleveland Guardians. Although they ultimately lost the game 5-3, he tallied two extra-base hits including a homer and a double with two RBI.
The Angels bullpen allowed three earned runs after a decent start from left-hander Patrick Sandoval. Outside of Moniak and an RBI single from Mike Trout, the bats were completely quiet with runners on base.
2023 outlook
An emphasis for general manager Perry Minasian and the Angels’ free agency was to acquire talent and depth, both in the infield and outfield. After acquiring Hunter Renfroe from the Milwaukee Brewers, they recently signed Brett Phillips to a $1.2 million deal to seemingly be the fourth option for manager Phil Nevin.
The good news for Moniak is he remains under team control for quite some time and the Angels can continue to give him selective opportunities when the time calls. As far as his status in the upcoming season, Moniak should begin the year in Triple-A with the Salt Lake Bees, but if any injuries do occur, he should be first in line for the call to MLB.
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