The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to promote outfielder Mickey Moniak to the majors on Wednesday, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia, paving the way for the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft to make his big-league debut. The move would come after Kyle Garlick left Tuesday night's game against the New York Mets because of an oblique injury.
Moniak, 22 years old, spent last season in Double-A, where he hit .252/.303/.439 and set career-highs with 11 home runs and 15 stolen bases. His batted-ball measures suggest the power uptick was because of a conscientious effort to lift and pull the ball more frequently. He's struggled with left-handed pitching historically, suggesting his ceiling is as a platoon player.
Philadelphia selected Moniak directly ahead of Reds outfielder Nick Senzel and Braves right-hander Ian Anderson. Some of the other, more notable first-round selections from that draft include Cardinals right-hander Dakota Hudson, Dodgers catcher Will Smith and infielder Gavin Lux, Mariners outfielder Kyle Lewis, and White Sox starter Dane Dunning.
The Phillies entered Wednesday with a 24-23 record on the season, good enough for the seventh seed in the National League playoff bracket. The Phillies are also just a half-game behind the Miami Marlins for second place in the NL East. Should the Phillies overtake the Marlins, they would hold the No. 5 seed. As of Wednesday, that would be the difference between playing the No. 2 seed Chicago Cubs and playing the No. 5 San Diego Padres, who, based on winning percentage and run differential, could be considered the better team.
The Phillies will complete their three-game series against the Mets on Thursday before hosting the Toronto Blue Jays for four games. After that, the Phillies are expected to be on the road for the rest of the year, however long that entails: they'll play four games in D.C. against the Washington Nationals before concluding the regular season in St. Petersburg with three games against the Tampa Bay Rays.
