Mickey Moniak Awarded Player of the Week
Minor League Baseball announced Monday morning that Salt Lake Bees outfielder Mickey Moniak has been named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for the April 24-30 awards window. This is the first PCL Player of the Week award for Moniak and the third of the season for Salt Lake,
Minor League Baseball announced Monday morning that Salt Lake Bees outfielder Mickey Moniak has been named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for the April 24-30 awards window. This is the first PCL Player of the Week award for Moniak and the third of the season for Salt Lake, with fellow outfielder Jo Adell and pitcher Chase Silseth winning awards in the first window of the 2023 campaign. Salt Lake now becomes the only Triple-A team with three POTW honors this year.
The Bees traveled to El Paso this week for a six-game showdown with the Chihuahuas, claiming victories in both weekend games to bring their season record to 11-16. After sitting out the first contest of the series, Moniak led the Bees with five home runs in five games, going 11-for-22 (.500) and producing nine RBIs. Moniak especially shined on Thursday (4/27), Saturday (4/29) and Sunday (4/30), tallying multi-hit games on each day and posting two-homer, four-RBI days on Thursday and Sunday. Moniak has four four-RBI games on the season, no other Salt Lake Bees player has more than one. On the year, Moniak is now batting .297 with three triples, eight home runs and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 21. Moniak was acquired by the Los Angeles Angels in August 2022 in a trade with Philadelphia involving All-Star pitcher Noah Syndergaard.
Mickey Moniak is HIM! 😤 pic.twitter.com/OPfYOQoBlI
— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 29, 2023
After growing up in Encinitas, CA, McKenzie Matthew Moniak was a standout prospect at La Costa Canyon High School. After winning a gold medal for Team USA at the 2015 U-18 Baseball World Cup, he earned national acclaim as a senior, winning Baseball America’s HS Player of the Year award and the Gatorade California High School Player of the Year award in 2016, leading to being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the first overall selection in that year’s June MLB Amateur Draft. His grandfather, Bill Moniak, played six seasons with the Boston Red Sox organization from 1958-1963.
The Bees now head home to Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City for a six-game series with the Tacoma Rainiers beginning at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2.