The Philadelphia Phillies selected Mickey Moniak with the first pick of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft. Now the organization will get to enjoy the services of the California high schooler, as the club and Moniak have officially agreed to terms.
Done deal. ✍ pic.twitter.com/uocE1bI7rZ
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 20, 2016
Jim Callis of MLB.com reported that while the pick is valued at over $9 million, the deal was worth only $6.1 million.
While completely expected, this is certainly good news for all parties involved. Only one player selected in the first round of the 2015 draft (Kyle Funkhouser) did not sign with the team that drafted him.
In 2014, the only first rounder to not sign was Brady Aiken, who was also the first overall selection by the Houston Astros. Aiken remains the only No. 1 pick to go unsigned since Tim Belcher and the Minnesota Twins could not agree to terms in 1983.
It will still likely be a while before the Philadelphia faithful get to watch Mickey Moniak roam the outfield at Citizens Bank Park. Most high school players — even the highly touted ones — don’t debut in the majors for at least two or three years. If Moniak tears through the Philadelphia farm system, he may be with the Major League club at some point in 2019, but no earlier.