By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
CLEARWATER, Fla. — More than three weeks into his rookie season with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, 2016 Major League Baseball June amateur draft top pick Mickey Moniak — out of Carlsbad, California's La Costa Canyon High School — is showing positive signs thus far both at the plate and in the field.
Through 14 games and 60 plate appearances, Moniak, 18, is batting .309/.350/.400 with nine runs scored, 15 singles, one triple, one home run, three walks, and 11 RBIs and strikeouts each. He also has 22 total bases, a double play grounded into, a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly among his 55 at-bats. Moniak has six multi-hit game performances, two of which he collected three hits.
In the field, Moniak has played eight games in the center field position, five as the designated hitter and one in left field. He has committed just one error so far through nine games and seven starts in the field, spanning 62 2/3 innings, 17 chances and 16 putouts for a .941 fielding percentage.
"It's an honor to be in the city of Philadelphia," Moniak said during his June 21 introductory press conference at Citizens Bank Park. "I [have] a few relatives here. Didn't know too much about the city other than the fact that they're sports fans, some of the greatest in the world. It's just a great organization to play for and a lot of history. I'm just excited to be a Phillie and to be part of this organization and to hopefully bring a winning tradition here to Philadelphia."
Moniak arrived in Clearwater, Florida, right after his June 21 press conference and started working out with his new team for the first time the following morning, including batting practice, throwing and outfield drills.
While the 2016 GCL Phillies season got underway that Friday, June 24, Moniak would make his long awaited professional debut one day later, Saturday, June 25. He went hitless in two plate appearances with a fly out and pop out, entering as a defensive substitution in the top of the seventh inning. Moniak would sit the next two games for the GCL Phillies, where making his first start on June 29 in the designated hitter position he struck out twice, grounded out to second, hit a RBI single on a line drive to left field and walked.
On July 6, Moniak hit a pinch-hit three-run home run off of 20-year-old RHP Yei Almonte, the first of his career, in a 12-5 victory over the GCL Tigers East.
The GCL Phillies are a minor-league rookie-level affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies who play in the North division of the Gulf Coast League at the Carpenter Complex near Bright House Field in Clearwater. The team is mostly composed of new draftees or non-drafted free agents.
What affiliate a player is placed coming out of the draft is dependent on what the Phillies believe their experience and talent level is most appropriate for. Their first pick of the 2014 draft, RHP Aaron Nola, for example, started out with the Clearwater Threshers (A+) for seven games before receiving the call-up to the Reading Fightin Phillies for five starts to finish out his rookie season.
Nineteen-year-old 2015 first round pick outfielder Cornelius Randolph played 54 games with the GCL Phillies last season and started out this year with the Lakewood BlueClaws (A). Moniak is most likely to follow a similar path.
