My goodness do White Sox fans have a lot to be excited about. According to Baseball America's top 100 prospects list, which is the best and most reliable prospect list, Chicago currently has four of the top 32 (and five of the top 56) prospects in baseball. The majority of this is of course due to the two off-season trades involving Chris Sale and Adam Eaton. The crown jewel of both these trades, Yoan Moncada, should have White Sox fans the most excited.
For a number of reasons Moncada was never going to work out in Boston. After getting signed prior to 2015 he felt as if he should be on a fast track to the majors. The Red Sox obviously thought he needed to spend time in the minors and they were partially proven right this past September. In Moncada's brief cup of coffee in the bigs he struck out 12 times in 20 plate appearances while walking just once. Additionally, while he has some versatility defensively his best position is second base, and he was never going to supplant Dustin Pedroia. In Chicago he'll get to return to his natural spot as opposed to trying to learn third base like he was in Boston.
Despite all the negativity that surrounded Moncada by the end of 2016 he remains one of the best prospects baseball has seen over the past several years. He won the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year award last season by hitting .294 with 15 homers and 45 stolen bases. He is likely going to open the year at AAA but can expedite his return to the majors with a hot start. Along with former teammate Andrew Benintendi, Moncada should be viewed as one of the favorites for the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year award.
No comments:
Post a Comment