‘I Want to Stick': Mickey Moniak's Maturation Goes Beyond the Batter's Box

The maturation of Mickey Moniak goes beyond the batter’s box originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- You've probably heard the proverb that says, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."

Friday afternoon, you'll see that great, old saying come to life when Mickey Moniak and Kevin Long trot out to the first base line at Citizens Bank Park for opening day introductions.

Moniak's journey to his first opening day roster has been filled with ups and downs, moments that he now looks back on as the learning experiences that helped him survive the smothering pressure of being a No. 1 pick in the draft and the stresses of not immediately living up to the accompanying expectations, moments that helped him realize who he is as an athlete and a young man.

"I feel there's not a lot that can be thrown at me at this point, even at 23 years old, that I haven't already seen and that's huge," Moniak said one recent morning in the Phillies' clubhouse.

Moniak has arrived at that place in life called maturity. It's why he has sought out advice on diet, on mental acuity, why he set out over the winter to rediscover some of the running speed he had in high school.

And it is why he was so willing to listen when he walked into the batting cage on Day 1 of spring training and Long said, "Hey, I want you to try this."

Long, former hitting coach for the Yankees, Mets and Nationals, was hired by the Phillies in October. He spent the winter diving into analytical data on every Phillies hitter -- exit velocities, chase rates, how they handle breaking balls, what they do with pitches in certain quadrants. After painting a scientific picture of the hitter in his mind, he immersed himself in video and let his eyes complete the portrait.

The more that Long dug into Moniak's swing, the more he liked it.

"I was pleasantly surprised," he said. "There were so many positives there. I was like, 'Oh, my god, this could be an easy fix.'"

So when Moniak walked into the cage on Day 1 of camp, Long told him he needed to move closer to the plate.

"I harped on it every day," Long said. "I'm like, 'You have to do this. If you want to be really, really good, you have to do this. I think this can happen quick.' And I was being dead serious." 

It wasn't the first time someone had suggested the adjustment to Moniak. But it was the first time the student in him was ready to hear the teacher.

"It's got to come from the right person," Moniak said. "Kevin's the best hitting coach in the game for a reason. He has a great track record and he's worked with some of the best hitters in the game.

"And I'm not saying I hadn't heard it in the past. But it always came with something else. It was always in the middle of the season and I was struggling a little bit and it was, 'Hey, get up on the plate," and in my head, I was like, 'That's not it. That can't be it.' My swing at those times wasn't feeling good and in my head, it wasn't the fix.

"As a young player coming up, this game will slap you in the face until you realize you don't have all the answers."

Long believed he had the answer. Moniak was standing so far off the plate that his first move was toward the plate with his front foot. This blocked off his hips, created a difficult path to the ball and prevented him from generating his maximum power.

"It's really nothing to do with his swing," Long said. "Getting closer to the plate has him moving in the right direction. It's freed up his lower half and given him a more direct path to the ball. When he was off the plate, he was causing himself added stress. He was blocking his hips and his power source."

The results of the adjustment have been impressive. After going hitless in his first three games of the spring, Moniak clubbed five homers and three doubles in his next nine games. His path to make the opening day roster was cleared when Odubel Herrera suffered an oblique strain and Adam Haseley was traded. But make no mistake, Moniak has seized an opportunity and earned his spot on the roster. Don't be surprised if Joe Girardi tries to capitalize on his hot bat and gives him some early action in center field as part of a platoon with Matt Vierling. How long Moniak stays with the big club remains to be seen. Herrera should be ready in a few weeks, but Moniak could dictate much of his own fate with how he plays. He's essentially done that in spring training.

Moniak believes there's been more behind his strong spring than an adjustment in the batter's box. He was a yo-yo going back and forth between the majors and Triple A last season and when he was in the majors, he struggled, hitting .091 in 21 games. 

The day after the season, he met with Ceci Craft, the team's head of mental performance, and resolved to stop pressing and putting pressure on himself. He started keeping a journal and found it brought him peace and self-discovery. He sought the counsel of nutritionists, cut back on fish tacos – a favorite of all San Diegans – dropped 10 pounds, and increased his mobility and agility during his offseason workouts. Over the winter, he ran the 60-yard dash in 6.5 seconds, his fastest time since high school. He was 6-1, 165 pounds when the Phillies drafted him out of La Costa Canyon High School in suburban San Diego in 2016. Now, he's 6-2, 195 pounds and feeling as good about his game as he ever has.

"Everything I went through last year has sort of put me in the right mindset," he said. "I've always been my own harshest critic. This game is stressful enough without me putting pressure on myself. I'm just trying to go out there and have fun."

Sounds like Mickey Moniak is headed in the right direction -- and not just in the batter's box.

"You always dream of playing in the big leagues," he said. "I've been up and down the last two years. Now, I want to stick."

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