Moniak lights it up in Threshers' return

It didn't take too long for Mickey Moniak to get comfortable again.
In his first game since June 6, Philadelphia's No. 4 prospect went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs in Class A Advanced Clearwater's 7-4 win over Tampa at Spectrum Field.

Gameday box score
"It was my first game back in a while, so I was just looking to go out there and just get a good pitch to hit," said Moniak. "I wanted to attack the fastball and be ready to help my team win. I was itching to get out there, so having a game like that, it was cool."
The 2016 first overall pick grounded a single to left field in his first at-bat in the second inning to plate Arquimedes Gamboa and Adam Haseley. He notched his 11th double of the season in the fifth, flying a fastball to center to score Edgar Cabral. The 20-year-old crossed the plate on a single by Henri Lartigue.
In the seventh, he grounded another hit to left and he scored on a single by Raul Rivas.
"I try to work on every part of my game," Moniak said. "I try to go out there and get better at one little thing every day. Whether it be in the outfield, at the plate or multiple things in one day. It's something I pride myself on. I just want to look to go out there and work to get better every day."
The left-handed hitter had been out of the Threshers lineup for eight days after one at-bat in the June 6 game against Daytona. He had gone 0-for-5 the prior game to end an 11-game hitting streak. Over the course of that run, he had raised his average .034 points.
"[Being back] felt awesome," said Moniak, who said in a postgame interview for the team that he had been working trainers over the break to figure out what was off with him. "Our team's been playing real well and being back a part of it was really fun."

Thursday's contest upped Moniak's average to .254. Last season with Class A Lakewood, he hit .236 with five home runs in 466 at-bats. Although he hasn't tapped into his power yet, the hitting streak provided a confidence boost at the new level.
"I'm just trying to get my pitch at the plate and looking for certain pitches in certain counts," he said. "I want to try not to be aggressive. I tended to do that a little bit and it played to my disadvantage. Now I just want to look for a pitch I can handle and put the barrel on it, get on base and help my team win."
He's taken quickly to the Florida State League atmosphere.
"The shorter bus rides and not having as much time driving up and down the East Coast has helped," he said. "It's hotter, but you're playing in nice stadiums. The facilities and everything out here are second to none."
On Thursday, Rivas drove in two runs and Austin Listi went 2-for-4 with a walk for Clearwater.
Nick Fanti (3-2) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three in five innings.