Phillies promote 2016 top Draft pick Moniak

September 16th, 2020

PHILADELPHIA -- is getting his shot in the big leagues as the Phillies push their organizational depth to the limit.

The team announced Wednesday afternoon that it has selected the contract of Moniak, recalled right-hander Connor Brogdon and placed right-hander Jake Arrieta (strained right hamstring) and outfielder Kyle Garlick (strained right oblique) on the 10-day injured list.

Arrieta sustained his injury in the sixth inning of Tuesday's 4-1 win against the Mets. There is a chance he won't pitch again this season, which would be a blow to the rotation.

Moniak, 22, was the first overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft out of La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, Calif. He joined the Phils on Wednesday to provide outfield depth, with Jay Bruce and Garlick on the IL and Neil Walker and Ronald Torreyes no longer with the organization. The only other true outfielders in the team’s 60-man player pool are Nick Martini and Mikie Mahtook -- and Martini has a right hamstring issue. The club DFA’d outfielder Nick Williams in August.

Moniak, the club's No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has been swinging the bat well at the team’s alternate training site in Allentown, Pa. The Phillies were not only impressed with Moniak’s performance there, but also with how he carried himself during Spring Training in Clearwater, Fla.

Moniak has slashed .256/.302/.390 in four Minor League seasons, including .252/.303/.439 in 503 plate appearances with Double-A Reading in 2019. He is the 23rd player selected in the first round of the 2016 Draft to reach the big leagues, which includes compensatory picks between the first and second rounds. Some of those players include Cardinals right-hander Dakota Hudson, Dodgers catcher Will Smith, Mariners outfielder Kyle Lewis, Braves right-hander Ian Anderson and Reds outfielder Nick Senzel.