The Los Angeles Angels made three deals on MLB trade deadline day, including most notably sending Noah Syndergaard to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak and outfield prospect Jadiel Sanchez.
Moniak has struggled in his limited Major League opportunities thus far as he hit just .129/.214/.172 over parts of three seasons with the Phillies (47 games).
However, the 24-year-old has continued to put up big numbers in the Minors and there is reason to believe he could potentially benefit with a change of scenery.
Angels interim manager Phil Nevin is familiar with some of the pressure Moniak has faced and hopes he can be himself in L.A., per J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group:
“We were drafted in the same position,” Nevin said Wednesday, when he penciled Moniak into his first starting lineup as an Angel. “Those pressures, you don’t think about it every day. You’re reminded of it once in a while. You can say all you want about ‘that doesn’t matter, there’s no pressure.’ At the end of the day, there is. It’s fan mail, there’s cards, the everyday things, the interviews. Being constantly reminded of that adds pressure to you.”
“I know this is a place (Moniak) can relax and just go out and play,” he said.
As Nevin noted, he and Moniak share the distinction of being former No. 1 overall picks. Nevin was selected first by the Houston Astros in the 1992 MLB Draft and struggled before a trade to the Detroit Tigers revitalized his career.
The Angels now hope Moniak can follow the same blueprint. The Encinitas, Calif. went 0-for-2 in his team debut on Wednesday, batting seventh and playing center field.
Minasian reflects on ‘tough’ trade deadline
Prior to trading Syndergaard to the Phillies, the Angels sent Brandon Marsh to Philadelphia in a separate deal. L.A. also dealt Raisel Iglesias to the Atlanta Braves.
Angels general manager Perry Minasian did well to recoup as much value as possible but admitted it was difficult trading three talented players.
