Mickey Moniak, powered by his family, could be Phillies' next leader

CLEARWATER, Fla. - A representative from Major League Baseball called Matt Moniak last spring, hoping that his son, Mickey, would fly across the country to attend the league's draft in Secaucus, N.J.

It would have been an experience for Mickey Moniak, who knew he was among the top picks but did not yet know that the Phillies would make him the top pick. Moniak would have the chance to be showcased on national television and shake the commissioner's hand after being drafted.

It would have been a nice start in the career of a player the Phillies hope can blossom in time for the revival they believe is coming soon. Moniak, who will turn just 19 in May, will begin the season at single-A Lakewood, just 60 miles from Citizens Bank Park but still a few seasons away from the major leagues.

His journey to that night last June was shaped in southern California by a father and grandfather who sparked his love of baseball, a high school coach who always believed in him, and two family tragedies that altered his outlook on life.

Moniak knew exactly where he wanted to be for the biggest night of his life. And that place was not a soundstage in New Jersey.

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Mickey Moniak woke up his father late on a Thursday night in 2014. His older cousin Tanner Gage had fallen off a balcony and over a 40-foot cliff in Santa Barbara. Gage broke his back and severed his spinal cord. He was just 20 years old. And now he was paralyzed from the waist down.

"He's been an older brother to me since basically I was born," Moniak said. "We would have sleepovers and we always played baseball. It was always Wiffle ball in the backyard or pickle or just playing catch. He gives me a lot of strength with what he's dealing with and the stuff he's been through."

It was a phone call from another older cousin, Chase Miller, that alerted Moniak to Gage's fall. He, too, was like an older brother. The three cousins lived just 30 minutes apart.

Tragedy struck again just nine months later when Miller, who battled depression, took his own life. Miller surfed and fished and had the laid-back vibes of Moniak's southern California home.

"He's always in my mind," said Moniak, who has Miller's initials on the bottom of his bats. "He's definitely a huge inspiration for me."

The two tragedies were a reminder of how fragile life can be, and they happened just as Moniak was set to begin the most exciting - and pressure-filled - time of his life.

"That was really tough," Matt Moniak said. "It put things into perspective and told him not to take things so seriously. He realized baseball isn't life or death. It helped him just relax and play."

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The Boston Red Sox spent $25,000 in the summer of 1958 to sign Bill Moniak, an outfielder from western Pennsylvania whose high school didn't even have a baseball team.

Bill Moniak, the grandfather of Mickey Moniak, spent six seasons with the Red Sox but never reached the majors. His career was derailed in the minors when he was hit in the head by a catcher's throw as he stole second base. Before Bill Moniak was finished, he crossed paths with Ted Williams, who was working as a hitting instructor.

It was the wisdom of Williams, perhaps baseball's greatest hitter, that Moniak relayed four decades later to his grandson.

"Williams always said, 'When I go up to the plate, the pitcher and I are even. He's going to make a mistake while I'm up there, and it's up to me to make him pay. Until I get two strikes on me, I'll be looking for my pitch.' " Bill Moniak said. "And that's Mickey's whole philosophy."

Mickey Moniak never lived more than 30 miles from his grandfather. The two bonded over baseball, with the grandfather coming to all of Moniak's games and sharing stories from his career that almost sound like folklore. Matt Moniak said his father boasted about Mickey for at least the last 10 years, proclaiming his grandson to be "the real deal." Moniak proved his grandfather right last June.

"It's just a wonderful thing," Bill Moniak said. "My wife says, 'You're reliving your past.' And I say, 'You're right.' I tell Mick, 'I have love in my heart and a tear in my eye.' "

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Moniak batted .476 last year with 12 homers and seven triples as a senior at La Costa Canyon High School. He showed elite speed in centerfield. The Phillies said after drafting him that Moniak one day could hit in the middle of their lineup and be the team's leader.

None of that will surprise Justin Machado, head coach at La Costa Canyon who brought Moniak onto the varsity as a freshman. Machado went to high school with Matt Moniak and watched Mickey grow up on family surfing trips. He considers the Moniaks to be family.

Machado knew Moniak could handle the pressure of playing varsity as a freshman. But he was unsure if the freshman was big enough to play against the older kids. Machado received his answer in the first game of Moniak's freshman season when Moniak pinch-hit against a 6-foot-7 righthander with a blazing fastball.

Moniak battled the pitcher, fouling off fastball after fastball. He worked a 10-pitch at-bat before popping up.

"That moment right there, your first game ever, you're playing the No. 1 team in the nation, facing 95, and you're a 13-, 14-year-old weenie," Machado said. "That moment pretty much solidified him as good to go."

Matt Moniak noticed his son's baseball instincts earlier. When he was 5, Mickey Moniak scooped up a ground ball during his first season of T-ball. Moniak, instead of throwing to first, rolled it to first for the out.

"I said, 'Mickey, what are you doing? Throw the ball.' He said, 'Dad, he won't catch it and I want to get the out,' " said Matt Moniak, who was the T-ball coach. "I guess I saw it then, his desire to win in a game when we weren't even keeping score."

Moniak appreciated the invitation from Major League Baseball, but decided against it. He wanted to spend draft night with a large group of family and friends at his aunt and uncle's home in Carlsbad, Calif..

The Phillies called Matt Moniak shortly before the draft began. They agreed on a $6.1 million signing bonus. Mickey Moniak was indeed the No. 1 pick. Matt Moniak gave his son a wink and a thumbs-up.

A few minutes later, Mickey Moniak's name was called. Moniak threw his hands in the air and grabbed a Phillies hat. He hugged Gage, who was sitting by his side in a wheelchair.

"I couldn't have been more excited to have him there and couldn't have had a prouder moment," Moniak said.

And as Moniak celebrated with Gage, you could see the tattoo he had completed a month earlier to honor Miller. On Moniak's right forearm was inked "Chase" in cursive, keeping his late cousin with him on draft night.

It was clear then that Moniak was right where he wanted to be for the biggest night of his life.

"Family is the one thing that will always be there for you," Moniak said. "If you are having a bad game or a bad day, you can call your parents, brother, sister, grandpa, cousin. You are having a bad game or bad something, things can be a lot worse. Family is definitely huge for me."