Boston Red Sox hope to get September boost from Yoan Moncada
By Tim Haberin
The Boston Red Sox will promote top prospect Yoan Moncada on Friday. The 21-year-old should have more than a background role with the team this month.
Yet another of baseball’s top young players is set to make his debut. The Boston Red Sox announced that Yoan Moncada, currently ranked as the #1 prospect in the game by MLB Pipeline, will be called up to the team on Friday as rosters expand. Don’t expect this to be a simple September cup of coffee for the neophyte, however. Moncada is being counted on to make a difference for the Sox down the stretch.
Moncada turned just 21 at the end of May, so he is still fairly early in his development. But his minor league performance this year has demonstrated that despite his youth, the Cuban phenom is ready to move up the organizational ladder quickly. He started the year at Class A Salem, where he slashed .307/.427/.496 with four home runs, 34 RBI and 36 stolen bases in 61 games.
His torrid play earned him a promotion to Double-A Portland, but the enhanced competition didn’t slow him down much. In 45 contests with the Sea Dogs, he posted a .277/.379/.531 line while clubbing 11 homers, driving in 28 runs and swiping nine bags. With his call-up to Boston, Moncada will be skipping over Triple-A Pawtucket for the time being.
Moncada has drawn widespread praise from scouts, and his all-around skills on the diamond are what made him such a prized commodity on the international market back in 2014-15. When the Red Sox landed him in February 2015, they paid a premium to do so. They signed him to a record $31.5 million bonus that effectively became $63 million due to luxury tax. That’s a major commitment to a largely unproven player, but so far it looks like a solid investment for Boston.
Moncada has been a second baseman throughout most of this time in the Red Sox system, but he did begin to play some third base with Portland in August. It’s there that he is expected to get his opportunity this month. The hot corner has been a trouble spot for the Sox this season, with neither Travis Shaw (.746 OPS) nor Aaron Hill (.512 OPS) making much of an impact there. Even if you temper your expectations a fair amount, Moncada shouldn’t have too much difficulty providing a sizable upgrade.
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Receiving a late-season shot in the arm can shift the balance of a playoff race, and that is part of what the Red Sox hope Moncada can do for them. They have watched one of their division rivals ride a tidal wave over the past few weeks created by one of their recently promoted top prospects. The heroics of Gary Sanchez have helped keep the Yankees in the Wild Card hunt well beyond the point most expected them to fizzle out.
Boston holds a two-game edge at the top of the AL Wild Card standings at the moment, but they are surely not satisfied with just that. They are only two games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East, and a strong September could vault them into the division lead. Moncada could be a valuable weapon for them as they aim toward the postseason. (And for those wondering, yes, Moncada will be eligible to play in October should the Sox get there.)
That’s a lot of pressure to put on a young player’s shoulders, even one as talented as Moncada. But he has already gotten a taste of a bigger stage this year, and he didn’t seem fazed by it. In July, he was named the MVP of the Futures Game after belting a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning to seal a win for the World team.
Moncada can do a variety of things to contribute to the Red Sox in the month of September. At the plate, he’s a switch-hitter with great bat speed who projects to hit for plus average and power. He’s a legitimate threat to rack up steals on the base paths as well, which could be a handy tool for the Sox to have in their back pocket in important games. MLB.com’s Jim Callis has described Moncada as “Robinson Cano with more speed,” and there’s not a team in the major leagues that wouldn’t love to have that kind of player.
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More and more teams are proving that you can be competitive now while also looking toward the future, and the Red Sox figure to do that when Moncada joins them tomorrow as they start a series against the A’s in Oakland.