Mickey Moniak's surge with Rockies shouldn't have Angels feeling any regret

The Los Angeles Angels' decision to let Mickey Moniak leave does not look great — at least on the surface. Moniak was a solid contributor for the Angels in 2023, saw a downturn in 2024, and is now raking with the Colorado Rockies. If you're looking purely at Moniak's raw numbers, you would think that the Angels might be feeling some regret.

Through 36 games, Moniak owns a .308/.355/.677 line. His 1.032 OPS currently leads the entire National League, and his slugging percentage is tops in all of baseball. Looking strictly at the surface-level numbers, Angels fans should be mad that LA didn't hang on to him when they had the chance.

But looks are rather deceiving when it comes to Moniak's stats. The production is what it is, but the idea that he's that sort of hitter everywhere he plays is nothing more than a mirage.

Mickey Moniak's splits shouldn't have the Angels second guessing themselves

The "Coors Field" argument for any Rockies player gets old fast. Most of the time, a player's splits are actually ignored, and those that invoke playing in Colorado as a reason do so in bad faith with little regard for the numbers under the hood. In Moniak's case, however, there's something to it.

In 17 games at home this season, Moniak has a .358/.389/.866 line with nine homers. In his 19 road games, he's only managed a .254/.319/.476 stat line. In case you are wondering, yes...Moniak's home/road splits last year with the Rockies were stark as well, with his home OPS being over 250 points better than his road OPS.

If you look at Moniak's profile, he just doesn't look like a player who can keep this level of production up outside of Coors Field, though he could still be a good player. He can generally find the ball with his barrel and possesses slightly above-average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage, as well as above-average bat speed. He also still has below-average strikeout and walk rates, however, and a way below-average chase rate. Doesn't exactly scream "MVP", does it?

It's great that Moniak is doing well in Colorado, and good for the Rockies for finding a player that fits their unique home-field situation particularly well. After being drafted No. 1 overall in 2016, many considered Moniak a bust, so it's nice to see him finally find his way. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean the Angels would have been able to cash in if they'd kept him. If anything, it would have been the opposite.

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