Chicago White Sox Prospect Yoan Moncada Better Off in Windy City
By Tim Boyle
Chicago White Sox prospect Yoan Moncada begins the 2017 season with a new franchise. Is he in a better spot than he was one year ago?
Playing for the Boston Red Sox has some great benefits. Aside from the occasional Ben Affleck encounter, there’s also a great chance to win. This perk has been removed from Chicago White Sox prospect Yoan Moncada. Now in the Windy City rather than Beantown, his perspective has changed.
It’s not all bad for Moncada. Although a World Series ring looks further out of reach, he’s in a much better situation with the White Sox.
In Boston, Moncada had to fight for playing time. This wasn’t about to change anytime soon. The deep roster would have made it very difficult to begin the 2017 season as an everyday player. It’s reasonable to assume the Red Sox would have kept Moncada in the minor leagues until late in the season.
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Even after Moncada gained some versatility by learning third base there didn’t look to be much room for him. Pablo Sandoval should get another crack at third base in 2017 given his lofty contract and past performance with the San Francisco Giants. Moncada had already been lured to the hot corner previously due to Dustin Pedroia occupying second base. Pedroia has shown no signs of slowing down either as he enters his age 33 season. Competing with him would have been futile.
Things are different with the White Sox. They want to trade third baseman Todd Frazier and should be willing to move second baseman, Brett Lawrie, as well. Even if they are unable to do either, each is in the final year of his contract. Moncada practically has a starting gig lineup already in 2018. This is far sooner than anything the Red Sox could have offered.
Last year’s small cup of coffee with the Red Sox showed everyone Moncada was not ready to face MLB pitchers on a regular basis. In his 20 plate appearances, Moncada went down on strikes in 12 of them. Clearly, Moncada needs a few more at-bats before anyone can trust him fully.
It’s possible he begins 2017 in the minors even as a member of the White Sox organization. This is true no matter what the status of Frazier or Lawrie is. So, before booking opening day tickets to see him play, wait until he officially graduates from the minor leagues.
Moncada’s call-up to the big leagues may still arrive quickly in 2017. The White Sox are attempting to rebuild while also getting some of the younger players’ growing pains out of the way. The instant he begins to hit well is the moment he resurfaces in the big leagues.
Perhaps the best circumstance in Moncada’s move from the Red Sox to the White Sox is the thinning spotlight. The White Sox sit on the southside of Chicago under a much smaller magnifying glass than the Red Sox do in Boston. After all, the White Sox are the city’s second team. The media will surely focus primarily on the defending champion Chicago Cubs than anything the White Sox do.
Moncada can focus on baseball rather than the substantial media attention in 2017. Scrutiny may arise as one of the game’s best prospects. Hiding on a bad team in 2017, though, will provide him with the opportunity to fail as needed. The figurative leash the White Sox will have on him is a long one. They can afford to let Moncada learn from his mistakes and become a productive big league hitter.
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Hopefully, with more immediate playing time available on a team not expected to win, works wonders for Moncada’s development. Although he remains a top prospect, Moncada does not need to help his team win a championship right now. He is part of a longer process which will, for the sake of South Chicago, lead to another World Series victory in the 21st century for the White Sox.