3 days agoAfter being released by the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, outfielder
Mickey Moniak has quickly found a home after agreeing to a one-year deal for $1.25 million guaranteed with the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, according to major-league sources. The 26-year-old former first-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016 will also receive termination pay from the Angels worth around $484,000. Moniak's deal with the Rockies will mean he's guaranteed a salary of $1.734 million in 2025. He has experience at all three outfield positions, but most importantly he'll give the Rockies a backup option in center field behind
Brenton Doyle. The landing spot in hitter-friendly Coors Field is a plus, but Moniak will most likely be a part-time player and has a career slash line of just .230/.272/.402. Still, he's worth rostering in NL-only leagues with the boost in hitting environment.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Mark Feinsand and Thomas Harding
4 days agoThe Los Angeles Angels have released outfielder
Mickey Moniak. The 26-year-old posted an underwhelming .179/.224/.346 slash line with one double and two home runs across 21 contests during spring training. Last season, Moniak logged a career-high 124 contests with the Angels and posted a .219/.266/.380 slash line with 17 doubles and 14 home runs. He swiped eight bags. However, he generated a poor .283 xwOBA, which placed him in the 13th percentile among qualified hitters. Moniak also drew walks at a low 5.0 percent rate and struck out at a hefty 27.3 percent rate. The 26-year-old was originally drafted with the first overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft but has yet to take the next step in the major leagues. With Moniak off the roster, fantasy managers should expect
Jo Adell to be the everyday center fielder in Los Angeles.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
1 month agoWith Los Angeles Angels outfielder
Mike Trout (knee) moving to right field on a full-time basis in 2025, it means that
Jo Adell and
Mickey Moniak will play center field for the team. Moniak has played the position the most, but Adell had a very good year in right field in 2024, and the Angels will likely want to keep his bat in the lineup as much as possible. Manager Ron Washington said a few days ago that
Taylor Ward will be the left fielder. The 25-year-old Adell has only started 15 games in the majors in center field, but he was a Gold Glove finalist in right field last year. Adell is the more attractive bat in fantasy for his power and speed -- he hit 20 home runs and stole 15 bags last year -- but his strikeout rate was still too high and hit he just .207. He also had a nice 44.7% hard-hit rate, but his struggles against right-handed pitching could mean he's ticketed for more of a platoon role in center with Moniak.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Orange County Register - Jeff Fletcher
2 months agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder
Mickey Moniak won his salary arbitration case with the Angels on Friday and will receive $2 million during the 2025 season, according to a source. The Angels originally offered Moniak $1.5 million earlier in January. The 26-year-old outfielder had a very similar season in 2024 to his first campaign with the Halos in 2023, hitting 14 home runs with 49 RBI and eight stolen bases in 124 games played. However, he played in just 85 games in 2023 and hit .280 compared to his .219 average (86-for-329) in 2024. The writing was on the wall for Moniak to regress this past season with a strikeout rate well over 30% back in 2023. He still has some power potential, but he hasn't been good enough against left-handed pitchers and figures to open the 2025 season as the Angels' fourth outfielder, so the playing time won't justify him as a bench option in most mixed fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
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