It has been a rough go for Mickey Moniak in 2024. After an 0-for-3 effort on June 4, Moniak’s season slash numbers dipped to .161/.196/.234 with a .429 OPS. He didn’t play again for another four days, but came back looking like a turnaround was possible. And on Friday night against the San Francisco Giants, he finally rallied for his best outing of the season.
Moniak slapped a ground rule double that advanced Zach Neto — who ultimately scored — to third base in the second inning. His next time up, he hit a two-run double to extend the Angels lead to 4-0 in the third. In the fourth, he tripled and scores as part of a four-run Halos inning that gave them an 8-0 lead in what was an eventual 8-6 victory.
The former No. 1 overall pick has struggled intensely this season, but is now on a six-game hit streak. He is batting .421 with an 1.153 OPS in that span. And his efforts are being noticed by manager Ron Washington, who praised Moniak’s recent turnaround after lots of hardship this season, according to Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register:
“I just see the progression,” Washington said. “It’s working. The things that he’s been working on are coming to fruition now. We are looking for that consistency where you bring it every single day. And we just hope that’s what’s going to happen, because he has something in him. He does have it in him. We’ve just got to make sure we continue to get it out of him.”
Moniak began the season under the assumption that he would be platooning with Jo Adell in the outfield alongside Mike trout and Taylor Ward. Trout’s injury opened up playing time for both, but Adell’s hot start while Moniak struggled gave much more attention to the former.
A six-game hitting streak is only the beginning for the 26-year-old California native. The Angels made it appear as though Moniak had the potential of being a long-term piece, and if this is truly the start of a turnaround, that could put him in serious consideration as the trade deadline nears and names like Ward and Adell are highly sought after.
Perry Minasian excited about young Angels
The Angels are far away from where they hoped they would be record-wise entering the 2024 season. General manager Perry Minasian tried to field a competitive roster around Trout, but injuries derailed that plan.
Instead, the Angels are functioning as a rebuilding team. They are built, offensively, around the young talents of Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Jo Adell, among others.
Intrigue is on the Angels side with some of those players, but the results have been less than exciting in 2024 itself. Minasian is unhappy with the team’s record, but believes it might be worth it to see the progression of those potential core pieces.
