PHOENIX — Colorado Rockies rookie third baseman Kyle Karros, struggling early in the season, sat slumped in front of his locker, his mind soul filled with self-doubt, wondering if he even belonged in the big leagues.
“I remember sitting alone,” Karros said, “and I was like, “It’s just so frustrating. I know I can play here. I know I’m capable. I just haven’t seen any results at this level.’
Rockies teammate Mickey Moniak walked over, put his arm on Karros’ shoulder, and Karros innocently asked him if he ever felt that way.
“He’s like, ‘Dude, you know who you’re talking to?'” Karros said.
You want to hear about self-doubt? Pain and embarrassment? Failure.
Well, Moniak says, pull up a chair.
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Moniak was once was regarded as the finest amateur ballplayer in the land, selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft 10 years ago by the Philadelphia Phillies.
It took only a couple of years to then be considered one of baseball’s draft busts, the rare 1-1 pick who was a total flop.
“This road is a tough winding road, and everybody’s journey is different,” Moniak tells USA TODAY Sports. “You never know what’s going to happen. I’ve gone through a lot of ups. I’ve gone through a lot of downs. And ultimately, it’s gotten me to where I am today.”
Mickey Moniak was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.
Moniak, 28, is now a fixture of the Colorado Rockies lineup, electing to stay put and part of the Rockies’ rebuild instead of being traded to a contender, agreeing to a two-year, $16.25 million contract extension the same day of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Moniak, who experienced the highest of highs on Draft Day, and then the lowest of lows when he was dumped less than six years later by the Phillies, has finally found a home.
“You know, ever since I got here, I made it pretty clear that I love it here,” Moniak says. “I love this organization. I love the people in this organization. I love where the organization is headed. It’s something I want to be a part of.
“I’ve always been a loyal guy, so I think that if you show loyalty in me and confidence in me, I just want to give it right back.”
Certainly, it would have been easy for the Rockies to ship Moniak out at the trade deadline, bringing in more prospects.
It would have been easy for Moniak to want out, too playing for a franchise that has lost 100 or more games three consecutive years, finishing last the past four years, a combined 171 games out of first place, with the worst record in the National League once again.
Moniak, a hot commodity deadline, could have ignored the offer and tabled the discussions this winter, but also knows that if he had not signed the extension, he’d likely be wearing a different uniform today.
“I think that there was a good possibility that I would have been traded if I didn’t sign it,” Moniak says. “From the business side of the game, there was obviously always a possibility that I would have been on the move. Obviously, my name was one that was getting thrown around a lot.
“So, to able to ink that deal right before the deadline, and kind of solidify myself here for at least the next two years was something that I was very excited about.”
‘Build something here in Colorado’
The Rockies made it clear they want Moniak as an integral part of their future, and Moniak let them know he wants to stick around for the day that they are a winning team once again, even a playoff contender.
“If you look at the numbers, we’re one of the top five offenses in all of baseball, and have taken great strides, especially from last year [43-119] to this year [49-73],” he said. “I think we can give this thing a run in the next two years.
“Obviously, my ultimate goal is to win a World Series, and to ultimately hoist that trophy, and pop that champagne. I’ve been thinking about it over the last year, for sure. My biggest thing is to be able to build something here in Colorado, and bringing winning baseball back to the city of Denver.
“I mean, we saw it last year. We’re fighting history as one of the worst teams in the history of baseball, and the fans still showed up, they still support us, and that stuck with me.”
Indeed, as bad as the Rockies have been over the years, they’ve drawn more than two million fans in all but two full seasons in their 34-year history. They’re averaging 28,000 fans a game this year and are on pace to draw nearly 2.3 million fans.
“It’s an amazing sports city with the [NHL] Avs, the [NBA] Nuggets, the [NFL] Broncos, making the playoffs all of the time.” Moniak says. “Me and a few guys went to a couple of Avs playoff games, and just seeing the city of Denver rally around them, that’s something that I want for the Rockies.”
It brings back memories of growing up in San Diego for Moniak, who was a San Diego Padres fan, and like every other kid in San Diego, idolized Tony Gwynn. Gwynn went to the World Series his rookie season, and then didn’t sniff the postseason again for 14 years. Gwynn was constantly asked why he didn’t want to be traded, or depart as a free agent.
Gwynn always said that he never wanted to leave, and after enduring the agony of losing, now wanted to be there when the good times returned. And it finally did in 1998 when they reached the World Series again.
“It’s the same for me, I want to be part of that group bringing playoff baseball back to Colorado,” Moniak says. “The fans support they give us is incredible. It would mean the world to me to be able to be here through the worst, and ultimately, reach the best.”
‘Mickey went through it’
There was a time when Moniak wondered if he’d even still be playing baseball. He played in parts of three seasons with the Phillies, hit .129 with a .386 OPS, and was sent packing to the Los Angeles Angels. He played in 228 games with the Angels, hit .242 with 31 homers and a .709 OPS, they gave up on him too, on the eve of the 2025.
The Rockies, who wanted him in the 2016 draft if he had fallen to the fourth pick, pounced. He arrived in Colorado, hit .270 with a career-high 24 homers and an .824 OPS last year. This year, he is fifth in MLB with a .542 slugging percentage, and even after missing a month with right ankle tendinitis, ranks third in MLB with 11 games of multiple extra-base hits. And, oh, does he rake at Coors Field with a career .994 OPS.
Moniak’s value permeates throughout the clubhouse. There’s not a position player in the Rockies’ clubhouse who doesn’t rave about Moniak’s leadership skills. You got a problem, you’re in a slump, you go see Moniak.
“It’s easy for a lot of people to tell you how to think, how to feel, what to do,” Karros said, “but they haven’t been in your shoes. Mickey, he went through it.
“He told me about his path and his journey. He gave me a different perspective to have on the game and in life in general. To play free. To play loose. That’s what he’s really gotten to do here in Colorado, and that’s why I think he’s had a ton of success. He works his tail off, but at the end of the day, he’s not pressing for results.
“He reminded me that once the game starts, it’s playing the same game I’ve always played. So that’s been huge to me, and a lot of guys in this clubhouse to have him as a resource. He’s gone through everything. He’s a great baseball player, but honestly, more of an unreal person than anything.”
Moniak ‘didn’t have the luxury’ in Philly
Moniak was barely 23 years old when he was already labeled a bust in this game. When he signed with the Phillies, they were just coming off their worst season since 1961, going 63-99. The Phillies counted on him to be a part of their core and signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract in 2019 when Moniak was at Class AA. The plan was for the duo to play alongside one another in the outfield.
Moniak’s stay in Philadelphia lasted all of 47 games.
“I didn’t really have the luxury, or I should say they didn’t have the luxury,” Moniak says, “of giving me a leash to go out there and maybe get 100 at-bats to figure it out. The most at-bats I got in a stretch was maybe 20. It was just tough to find a rhythm. But I totally understand the nature of this game and the business side of it. They put a lot of money into that organization and was in a win-now mode.
“I was trying to go 5-for-4 every game trying to do way too much. I was getting caught up in my day-to-day performance instead of being patient knowing the 162-game marathon is real. That’s why I learned to trust the ability that God has given me, and be focused more on the team winning, and as opposed to getting so caught up in your day-to-day performance.
“That’s what I’ve told these young guys. You’re going to go through a bad stretch. This game’s going to knock you down. If it knocks you down three times, you get up four.”
Moniak is living, breathing proof. He’s been knocked down, again and again, but now a decade after it all started, he’s right where he’s supposed to be.
“To be able to find my footing, and just kind of re-charge my career here,” says Moniak, who’s hitting .263 with 19 homers and an .853 OPS, “it’s something that I definitely cherish. It couldn’t have been a better fit.”
Colorado is no longer just a place where he’s employed during the summer.
It’s about to become a second home with a soon-to-be expanded family.
Moniak got married a year ago in San Diego and purchased a place in Encinitas, California, which just so happened to be the former home of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ in-laws.
“I saw three of his jerseys hanging in their house,” Moniak said, “and I was wondering, ‘Man they must really be huge Dave Roberts fans.”
And now that his wife, Sophia, is pregnant with their first baby, a girl due in January, they’re now in the market to buy a home in Denver, where his mother-in-law was born and raised.
“Pretty cool, right?” Moniak said.
It was a journey that Moniak never could have imagined, but now that he looks back, it was meant to be this way.
“I believe everything happens for a reason,” Moniak says, “and you know what, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mickey Moniak rewrites MLB draft bust narrative with Colorado Rockies
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