Swing adjustments paying off Moniak made some adjustments to his swing in the offseason, and he is now pushing for an Opening Day roster spot, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports. Impact Moniak spent time at 1RM Performance in San Diego during the offseason and also worked with Angels assisting hitting coach Phil Plantier in an effort to refine his swing. The results this spring have been promising, as he's slashing .400/.438/.667 with a home run, three doubles, a triple, five runs, five RBI and two stolen bases over 32 plate appearances. Most importantly, he's struck out only four times after fanning at a massive 39.3 percent rate over 112 plate appearances last season. The Angels' starting outfield is set with Taylor Ward in left, Mike Trout in center and Hunter Renfroe in right, and both Jo Adell and Brett Phillips are in competition with Moniak for the fourth-outfielder spot. Among the three, Moniak has looked the most impressive this spring, especially in terms of contact -- Adell has 16 strikeouts in 35 at-bats while Phillips has been punched out 15 times in 29 plate appearances. Manager Phil Nevin made it clear that the team's priority is fielding the best team, saying of the position battle, "Contracts, or however they go, we're trying to win. We're taking the best group. So I would say certainly there is competition."
MARCH 17, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
