The Colorado Rockies are at it once again, making another adjustment to their outfield corps before their season opener against Tampa Bay on Friday. Late Wednesday night, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding and Mark Feinsand reported that the Rockies agreed to a one-year, $1.25 million contract with outfielder Mickey Moniak.

Moniak, 26, was released by the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday after a rough Spring Training where he batted .191 while striking out 18 times in 58 plate appearances with a pair of home runs. The move also comes after the Angels cut him before the $2 million he won in an arbitration hearing became guaranteed. Due to a distinction in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, deals that were settled by an arbitration hearing are not guaranteed before the start of the season. Players released before or early in Spring Training receive 30 days termination pay; those released within 15 days of Opening Day are guaranteed 45 days of termination pay. Since Moniak fits in the latter camp the Angels are only on the hook for a $484,000 termination fee.

Originally drafted first overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016 out of high school Moniak struggled to find his footing in the Phillies system. There were promising signs through his first couple of years in the minors, specifically in 2019 when he slashed .252/.303/.439 with 11 home runs in 119 games in Double-A. He made his MLB debut during the shortened 2020 season, appearing in just eight games batting .214 (3-for-14) with six strikeouts and four walks. He spent the majority of the 2021 season in Triple-A where he found his power, swatting 15 home runs in 100 games, but what little action he did find at the Major League Level amounted to just 21 games where he went 3-for-33 with 16 strikeouts.

Moniak seemed poised to make the Phillies out of Spring Training in 2022, before he fractured his hand on a hit-by-pitch in the Grapefruit League finale, costing him almost two months. The Phillies flipped him to the Angels at that year’s Trade Deadline as part of the return for Noah Syndergaard where he found some new life during the 2023 season.

He has spent the last two seasons playing a semi-regular role with the Angels. During a breakout season in 2023, Moniak slashed .280/.307/.495 with 14 homers in 85 games. He wasn’t able to replicate the production last season where his numbers dropped to .219/.266/.380 over 418 plate appearances with 14 home runs.

A major reason for the struggles Moniak has had throughout his career has been his strikeout rate. In 2023 he boasted a massive 35% strikeout rate which made it unlikely he’d be able to keep up quality production. He did make strides in 2024, cutting his strikeout rate to a slightly more palatable 27.3% mark, but that came with a dramatic drop to his ball-in-play results. A career strikeout rate of 32.3% and just a 4.5% walk rate have stunted some of the more promising qualities of his offensive profile.

For his career, the left-handed-hitting Moniak owns a .230/.272/.402 slash line through 275 Major League games.

Defensively, however, Moniak has proven a capable glove in the outfield. Primarily a center fielder, he has put up 3 Defensive Runs Saved and is measured as being worth 3 Outs Above Average and 3 Field Run Value. His range and sprint speed are well-regarded while his arm measures it at league-average. He was in a battle for the starting job in center field with the Angels after Mike Trout was moved to right field, but the team decided to go with Jo Adell and save some money by cutting Moniak.

As for the Rockies, the addition of Moniak is just the latest in a restructuring of their outfield corps.

The team entered the season with a projected outfield of Nolan Jones in left, Brenton Doyle in center, and Jordan Beck in right. However, following the broken wrist of Thairo Estrada the team felt the need to get a new utility player and sent Jones to Cleveland for Tyler Freeman. The Rockies like the contact capabilities of Freeman and his ability to play the infield as well as center field as needed.

The absence of Jones left the Rockies with a chance to give prospect Zac Veen a run at an outfield spot after a strong Spring Training performance but instead, the team optioned him to Triple-A while selecting the contract of 34-year-old outfielder Nick Martini.

A common talking point for the Rockies was the desire to have capable players able to step in and provide rest days for their regulars, specifically when it comes to center field. Coors Field sports the largest outfield in baseball, making it a toil to cover on a daily basis and while Doyle has proven quite capable with his two Gold Gloves, there is still a desire to try and reduce the wear and tear.

The Rockies were carrying outfielder Sam Hilliard for this very purpose despite a terrible Spring Training at the plate. Strikeouts plagued Hilliard but because of his pedigree with the team and the solid performance he turned in in 2024 off the bench, the team valued his experience playing at Coors Field. However, with the addition of Moniak, Hilliard found himself designated for assignment.

Drafted in the 15th round by the Rockies in 2015, Hilliard stormed onto the scene in 2019, slugging seven home runs in 77 at-bats and batting .273 in 27 games. He looked to be penciled in as a regular during the 2020 season but his struggles at the plate, particularly in the strikeout department, saw Hilliard become an expendable piece by the time he was traded to the Atlanta Braves before the 2023 season.

Hilliard appeared in just 40 games with the Braves that season before injuries sidelined him and he was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles heading into 2024. His time with the Orioles was brief as he was put on waivers early in Spring Training where the Rockies claimed him. Hilliard didn’t make the team out of camp due to the late acquisition of Jake Cave, but he went to Triple-A Albuquerque where he played well, even talking the franchise record for career home runs with the Isotopes. The Rockies recalled Hilliard in the early summer and in 58 games he slashed .239/.305/.507 with 10 home runs in a part-time role. That performance was enough for the Rockies to sign him to a $1 million contract in arbitration.

With Hilliard gone the Rockies now have Moniak as a left-handed option off the bench capable of playing center field alongside Freeman who will seen time in the middle infield, particularly at second base. Outfield wise the Rockies will stick with Doyle in center and use a combination of Martini, Beck, and Sean Bouchard for the corners. Moniak is also likely to slide into that mix as well, particularly against right-handed pitching.

The Rockies will begin their season on Friday, facing off against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.