Nine days from Opening Day, the Phillies’ roster is beginning to round into form. On Tuesday, the Phillies announced that they have traded Adam Haseley to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for RHP McKinley Moore.
Haseley, the eighth overall pick in 2017, was supposed to be a quick moving outfielder for the team. He never got a real chance in the Majors, as he only has 322 career at-bats. Difficulty with injuries and personal issues kept him off the field the last two seasons.
In 116 career games with the team, Haseley slashed .264/.322/.373 with five HRs and 39 RBI. While the team expected Haseley to be the everyday center fielder in 2021, he took an abrupt leave of absence from baseball and when he returned, played out the rest of the season in the minors.
In return for their former first round pick, the Phillies are acquiring an interesting arm. McKinley Moore, a 14th round draft pick in 2019, is considered the White Sox’ 27th best prospect. Across two levels last season, he went 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA in 40.2 innings. The Arkansas product struck out 13.1 batters per nine, but also walked 4.6.
Last season, the White Sox simplified Moore’s mechanics in hopes that he would throw more strikes. While he still has a lot of work to do, his walk numbers are going down. The 6’6″ right hander is going to work 93-96 mph with his fastball, touching 99. He’ll back that up with a slider that sits in the mid-80’s with some serious break.
It’s not a lot for a former first rounder, but it is a surprise they got this much. Moore probably will not pan out, but there are definitely tools to work with.
When the team announced that Odubel Herrera would miss some time with an oblique injury, many thought Haseley would be the new platoon partner for Matt Vierling. Instead, this trade all but ensures that Vierling’s platoon partner will be Mickey Moniak.
The former first overall pick has had a pretty good spring. Hitting .263 with three HRs, Moniak looks noticeably more comfortable at the plate. An offseason adjustment saw him move closer to the plate, and it seems the change has been paying dividends. Moniak has worked his tail off to get here, and I am glad he finally can break camp with the team.
While he won’t be the player everyone projected he would be, there is still room for him in the MLB. Frankly, I don’t expect it to be a true platoon in CF between Moniak and Vierling. Vierling has shown enough to warrant the majority of reps in CF, with Mickey being more of a 4th/5th outfielder.
The regular season is nine days away. This move marks the beginning of the end of Spring Training. The Phillies are getting ever so close to the beginning of their quest for the playoffs.
April 8th can’t come soon enough!
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