The White Sox announced following tonight’s blockbuster trade that they will promote minor league infielder Yoan Moncada to the Majors tomorrow. Acquired in the team’s offseason trade of Chris Sale, Moncada is widely regarded as one of the game’s top overall prospects and ranks as MLB’s No. 1 prospect according to Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus.
Moncada, 22, is off to an excellent start in Triple-A Charlotte, hitting .285/.381/.452 with a dozen homers, nine doubles, three triples and 17 steals (in 24 attempts). He should get everyday at-bats for the Sox at second base, where he’s played exclusively thus far in Triple-A this season.
This won’t be Moncada’s first exposure to the Majors, as he appeared with the Red Sox late in the 2016 campaign but looked overmatched by big league pitching at the time. In a tiny sample of 20 plate appearances, Moncada was able to notch four hits but also struck out a whopping 12 times. Strikeouts remain an issue for Moncada in Triple-A, though he’s made modest improvements in both his strikeout and walk rates this season.
Reports on the switch-hitting Moncada tout him as a potential five-tool player — one who can hit for high average with power, speed, and above-average defense at second base for years to come. His left-handed swing has drawn comparisons to that of Robinson Cano. Baseball America’s report on Moncada marvels at his athleticism, touting that he “possesses the size and strength of a linebacker and he runs like a runaway locomotive.”
If there are any questions about Moncada, they’re largely about his hit tool, though not to the point where many evaluators are too concerned about his future. ESPN’s Keith Law isn’t quite as high on Moncada, but even as a slightly more skeptical observer, he pegged him as baseball’s No. 13 overall prospect earlier this month. Law writes that Moncada still profiles as an above-average regular at second even if his discipline never fully comes around.
Moncada entered the season with just 31 days of Major League service time, and given the timing of his promotion, there aren’t enough days left on the calendar for him to reach the requisite 172 days of service to notch his first full year. The best he can do is wrap up the season with 106 days of service, which would eventually leave him shy of Super Two status after the 2019 campaign (assuming no further demotions to alter his service time trajectory). Moncada, then, wouldn’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2020 season and wouldn’t qualify as a free agent until the 2023 season wraps up.
Of course, financial considerations aren’t necessarily as great a concern for Moncada as they are for most young players. After leaving Cuba, Moncada signed with the Red Sox for a record-shattering $31.5MM signing bonus (that came with a full dollar-for-dollar penalty, meaning he cost Boston $63MM).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
bronxbombers
Right in cue with Frazier to yanks
HeyBroItsBrad
Happy Moncada day!
Sports
Think he’ll be a bust
imindless
Think your a hater.
KillahAC
You’re*
Jockstrapper
Nice!
IACub
Noice*
big Orioles Fan
You got to remember Boston one of toughest places to play in they either love you or hate you quick
antonio bananas
why?
GoSoxGo
Wish the young man well.
ReverieDays
Like most hyped up Cuban hitters have been. I agree.
User 4245925809
Amazing how so many people now show up here, post something negative about a player/poster with absolutely NOTHING to back it up.Just useless posts and a waste of type space.
bastros88
he has post major league experience, and he was awful
Priggs89
Omg. 19 whole at bats. He’s doomed.
soxtober05
When did the Sox start paying trolls to think?
mikecws91
And it… is… on.
Priggs89
Here we go
xabial
And So it begins
Phattey
Finally !!
Joe Kerr
Woooohoooo
Pedro Cerrano's Voodoo
K’s. Watch how he handles the breaking ball.
Zack35
If he’s a bust like Buxton I’ll laugh so hard. That would suck for the White Sox considering Chris Sale is Sandy Koufax right now.
Priggs89
Great. He would’ve helped them win 65 games. Awesome.
billysbballz
Awwww the white Sox fan is getting upset because moncada might not be all that. Don’t worry Bruth will be solid in center in three years. Keep tanking and drafting big talent and in five years maybe you can trade for Sale back and give up half of what you got for an older Sale. Future looking better for Sox but I’m not sure they are surrounding these kids with family of role models and winners.
Priggs89
What part of that comment sounded like I was upset? We just got an untouchable star. I couldn’t be happier.
Houston We Have A Solution
Well Sale is a free agent in 2.5 years. They could just sign him then. But man you really showed him! In 5 years they could trade back for Sale who technically isnt under contract with anyone at that point in time yet instead of signing him in 2.5 years! You just blow in from stupid town or something? If you’re going to insult someone at least fact check stuff first.
spotrac.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/chris-sale-7278/
kidaplus
Please tell us all again how untouchable Rutherford.
tjg25
What the hell did I just read?
small_market_chub
See guys, you can always spot a troll by its incoherent ramblings and poor grammar. Nature truly is amazing.
antonio bananas
buxton has 2-3 more years until Id officially call him a bust. these guys can’t even legally rent cars yet
dodgerfan711
Buxton was the #1 prospect in all of baseball. This is his 3rd year in the bigs. If its 2018 and he still isn’t doing much he is a bust
Steve Adams
It’s his third year in the Majors because the Twins’ old regime in the front office rushed him to the Majors. He’s 23 and has batted .231/.311/.408 over his past 400 plate appearances. That’s not great, but it’s not far below average in terms of wRC+ (92), which is more than fine with his defense and baserunning.
He was always labeled a high-risk prospect, and if you read scouting reports on him from those days, this type of outcome for him was always a possibility.
I wouldn’t call anyone a “bust” if they settle in as an average to slightly below average bat with elite defense in center field, unless you have unrealistic expectations about being what a top-tier prospect means.
Buxton was #1 was because even he didn’t hit, his glove and speed could make him a two- to three-win player. If your expectation is something like Corey Seager or better, though, then yes you’ll find a lot of “busts” following prospects.
chesteraarthur
Why are you using a random 400 PA sample? Especially when in his most recent 286 PAs (the 2017 season so far), he’s produced a wRC+ of 62. Seems like a case of using arbitrary end points in an attempt to support your point.
antonio bananas
buxton didnt exceed rookie status until 2016. this is his 2nd season. learn about service time. a 45 game cup of coffee in 2015 is nothing.
also, he’s worth a positive WAR by both fangraphs and B-R on legs and defense alone. in just his 2nd full season and age 23 season, it’s not crazy to think he becomes a league average hitter (equating to like a 3-4 WAR player)
dodgerfan711
I said his 3rd year in the bigs not 3rd year of service time. Learn about basic measurements of time. Stop going to the end of the earth to defend buxton and say leauge average is acceptable for how high he was ranked. He was ranked the best prospects in ALL of baseball. Leauge average is not good enough. To say he was always known as an all glove prospect is a BS excuse.
jbigz12
He was a supposed 5tool player but his floor was a Billy Hamilton type. I posted a scouting report, but in all honesty there’s so much ass covering in that report about buxtons ability. I think it’s obvious he was rushed based on his speed and glove work and never really got a chance to develop his hit tool. Idk it took Aaron hicks along while to start reaching his full potential as well.
google.com/amp/www.baseballamerica.com/majors/expe…
Cachhubguy
So, you must think Jason Heyward’s contract was just fine, because he’s good at defense.
antonio bananas
buxton is getting paid 500k, heywards contract is irrelevant but if heyward can produce lesgye average WAR per dollar, then sure, I dont care how he does it.
tharrie0820
Donaldson was considered a bust at one point too… #dontletyourdreamsbedreams
jbigz12
Cmon bro you can rent a car at 21 for a premium. You’d never cut it at Enterprise!
Pilzbrydroboy
If hes the next Robinso Cano. I will laugh so hard at the haters
Pilzbrydroboy
The way i look at it if hes an everyday player and kopech turns into one of the best pitchers in baseball. Its still a win
BadlyBent
Kopech has 55 BB in 84IP this year in AA ball. He’s miles from being one of the best pitchers anywhere.
Pilzbrydroboy
Kopech is the 11 best prospect in baseball and the 2nd best pitching prospect. Hes got Ace potential. You can hate all you want. But the facts are out there
Pilzbrydroboy
Plus the fact that the Sox have the best pitching coach in baseball. I have no worries Kopech will be a stud
Pilzbrydroboy
Your just BadlyBent over by the whitesox farm system
BadlyBent
Not saying he doesn’t have a huge upside. Just saying that a 105mph walk is no better than an 85mph walk.
BadlyBent
The road to the majors is littered with flamethrowers who have no control, PED issues, and bad attitudes. So good luck to him.
Gobbysteiner
Best pitching coach in baseball? Tf?
yanks02026
Kopech is a cheater
classicmixup
I am done with hearing Cooper is the best pitching coach in baseball. If that was the case, why isn’t Holland doing better or Shields doing better? What makes Cooper the best? He is good but not sure about the best
Pilzbrydroboy
A young 20 year old pitcher with hella upside. Nothing don cooper cant fix
Pilzbrydroboy
Shields cant stay healthy and Holland had a great start to the season. Who knows what happened. What i do know is…. I know they were nothing special when they came to the White Sox
Priggs89
“He can’t be a good pitching coach! Not all of his pitchers are great!”
Pilzbrydroboy
OK…. hes ONE of the Best. Wtf is the difference between being the best and one of the best. Yes hes a good pitching coach and i find it funny. How people wanna call 21 year old pitching prospects. Who are top prospects a bust from some minor league stats lol
Pilzbrydroboy
I say best to get reactions from People and they get so mad…. yet there doing the same by acting as if they follow the whitesox and know what there talking about when it comes to Sox pitching prospects. There just trying to get reactions…. Giolito a bust? Lol obviously people dont know what there talking about and there haters cause ghe sox have all these prospects
jackt
define: troll
chesteraarthur
It’s pretty obvious he is just a major white sox homer.
nrd1138
….because sometimes bad is bad. I have seen very few pitchers that Don Cooper could not work to improve to become a stud somewhere else.
tharrie0820
This is the dude that broke his hand punching a teammate, right? Maybe he can carry on sales legacy of shredding up uniforms
Priggs89
If he pitches like Sale for a few years, I’m sure they’ll be fine with him cutting up some uniforms.
southi
I will say that they shouldn’t call them busts yet for sure, but neither are they successes. I will also say that as much as I personally love looking at the various prospect lists, I’ve come to realize they are only a snapshot in time. There have been tons of hits and misses through the years on prospect rankings. I am not sure it is even best to label someone as a hit or miss until quite a while down the road. Not everyone develops at the same rate.
camnewton42
Buxton is the twins 4th or 3rd best player.
GoSoxGo
What happens to Yolmer Sanchez? He’s played well. If Davidson takes over third base, will Sanchez or Saladino survive as the fourth infielder?
Priggs89
Trade him
nrd1138
Agreed, more value in Sanchez than Saladino at this point
chitown311
Ruh-roh Major league pitching
kindness
Yes, he gets to learn at the major leagues now. Point? He’s not going to be an all star in half a season. I mean Kyle Schwarber is hitting .180 and nobody in this city is close to calling him a bust.
beakforpresident
And here we go (Heath ledger joker voice)
ChiSoxCity
That garbage trade with the Yankees has me in a bad mood.
The Sox should be trying to chase the Phillies for the worst overall record (that city has tanking down to a science). I don’t see the point of promoting Moncada now.
LADreamin
Considering what Detroit got for JD Martinez, CWS haul tonight should be celebrated. DRob is owed a lot of money and they sold high on Kahnle. Rutherford and Clarkin are both good prospects to help the rebuild, why is it a garbage trade?
saavedra
They traded 3 MLB players for a good prospect and 2 “meh” prospects. My bet is that Kahnle will be worth that package alone by this time next year. It is a garbage package.
Little Whirl
I don’t really understand this as Chicago’s primary objective should be (& has been) adding compelling pieces for the future. I thought it was a very good deal myself & I think the fact that the White Sox took on a year plus of Tyler Clippard might shed some light on the possibility that they had some really nice reports on Blake Rutherford at least (& possibly the other prospects). I’m a Todd Frazier fan, but he was in his walk year & bullpen pieces aren’t of primary import for a team in a full rebuild.
Bruin1012
Red Sox fan and I’m hoping that Yoan plays well for the White Sox just be patient with him and I think he will be a real stud for the White Sox. Nice return for tonight’s trade Rutherford is a nice get.
billysbballz
Ok thanks general scout. I’ll be patient watching losing baseball in old comiskey, wait!!!!!
Bruin1012
Cmon Billy you were the same guy that said no way they trade Rutherford for Q. I don’t know why you are so angry it appears that your GM likes his chances in the next couple of years. I think the Yankees need more staring pitching to be a real threat but you never know if you shorten the game enough.
thegreatcerealfamine
He’s the king of flip flop!
Gobbysteiner
Cubs fans are hilarious, they win once in over a century, and now are stuck in second place behind a rebuilding brewers team with the lowest payroll in baseball and still talk trash thinking their hot s**t on a silver platter but in reality they’re cold turds on a paper plate.
thegreatcerealfamine
Dude look at the standings.
jackt
Everything he said about the standings is correct
Gobbysteiner
What about the standings?
kindness
I’d rather watch losing baseball with kids that have high upside then watch them sign the Adam LaRoches and Adam Dunn’s of the last 10 years. We’re smarter than that right?
Pilzbrydroboy
Bruin1012 at least you can appreciate what the White Sox are doing. OTHERS are so mad. That the Sox have all these top prospects
Bruin1012
They don’t realize how good these prospects are. The White Sox have there center fielder of the future. I have to give Hahn credit he is really building something down the road.
Pilzbrydroboy
Luis Robert has insane speed and a good glove. Hes been regarded as a true CF. I actually believe the Sox will move Rutherford to the corner
Bruin1012
We shall see it was good get anyway I’m sure the Yankees didn’t really want to trade him.
thegreatcerealfamine
Only a couple think it matters,but I wanted a starter.
Little Whirl
I tend to agree but I also think that he is far away off enough that it wasn’t going to stop this deal either. Blake Rutherford is (yet another) nice get for the White Sox.
Bruin1012
I think your right the Yankees need some starters great bullpen doesn’t matter if you are down 6-3 after five.
Pilzbrydroboy
Bruin1012 we look forward to the battle in the ALCS in a few years lol what ever we gotta do to keep the yankees out. Im hoping chris sale gets his first ring this year
Bruin1012
That would be awesome I’ll tell you always likes Sale but he is more then I hoped and what a teammate he’s the real deal.
Pilzbrydroboy
I know. I miss watching him pitch. He has such a nasty slider. I cant wait to watch him in the playoffs
thegreatcerealfamine
Get a room!
Pilzbrydroboy
Rutherford is a rare talent who has the chance to hit for plus average and power. He has a smooth left-handed stroke with plenty of bat speed, recognizes pitches well, shows signs of patience and uses the entire field. While he currently employs a line-drive approach, he has big raw power and will tap into it once he adds some loft to his swing.
Rutherford entered pro ball as a solid runner and a center fielder, but he should slow down as he starts to fill out and most scouts believe he’ll wind up on an outfield corner
Source.-SB NATION
Cubguy13
For Moncada being labeled a “speedster,” it surprises me that he is only 17/24 in steals against AAA players. His numbers would look even worse against major leaguers
Kelly Wunsch N' Munch
Speed doesn’t necessarily equate to being great at stealing bases. Adam Eaton had decent speed for the White Sox, but was not a very good base stealer. Not to say he couldn’t improve though.
Cachhubguy
So, if he’s not a base stealer, how does that tool become the 5th tool. Does that speed help him at 2nd base? When I think of 5 tools, I think Willie Mays or Clemente. I can’t wait to watch this 5 tool player.
Kelly Wunsch N' Munch
I personally believe they’ve overrated him. I’d say that it doesn’t really equate to a “5th tool” honestly. There’s still potential. He has a great “burst” of speed, but it’s learning the “jump” off the pitcher. He’s not the “greatest second baseman” of all time. He’s “supposed” to be Cano(ish). That would be amazing! I’m thinking more like Ray Durham, but somewhat better.
kindness
speed in general is the attribute. not stealing bases. speed helps with base running, fielding range, etc
white_sox9195
Hopefully he lives up to the hype im praying for him GO WHITE SOX !!!
IronBallsMcGinty
Man, does this mean no more Charlotte Knights games on CSN?
IronBallsMcGinty
Also, with Hahn getting this rebuild moving at a rapid rate, more moves possible before the deadline and others perhaps being put on waivers next month. What could he possibly do this off-season?
Kelly Wunsch N' Munch
I don’t really think there’s too much to be had left. Considering what J.D. Martinez just fetched, Cabrera isn’t going to fetch much. Hell, he’s technically more expensive for his “half-season” actually . They should DFA Holland and pray someone would give them anything in return. Miguel Gonzalez certainly helped his own cause last night, but his value is minimal at best. Pelfrey… see Holland post. Shields couldn’t be moved without unreasonable compensation on the seller’s side.
All I’m really getting at is there’s no more “sexy” deals to be had as of right now. Aside from spinning Rodon, Anderson, Moncada, or the like, there wouldn’t be much hope for a “high return” so to speak (Anderson is pushing it). Abreu wouldn’t garner too much attention (albeit some probably). Cabrera will be hard to move for a “bag of balls” (without more massive compensation). Even packaging players wouldn’t muster much of a return without packaging the “untouchables”.
The Draft is where the White Sox can possibly add another “elite” prospect. Perhaps more? Hahn has done a good job on “returns” up to this point. He could’ve done better in this last acquisition in my opinion though. What do I know though!? Just an armchair GM over here. I do love baseball though!
nrd1138
IMO the Sox would be crazy to give up on Anderson now. He is obviously forcing things to try to live up to the contract extension; then his best friend dies. Next year he should be better and more like himself. Great glove and a .280 hitter with a bit of power. Shields and Holland could go via the waiver trade route. Same with Cabrera. Swarzak, and Sanchez. It looks like about 4-5 more players could go, but this is where the scout dept for the Sox really have to earn their money to find those diamonds in the rough as they are likely looking a A ball prospects for those guys. I think Abreu is around for at least next season, likely more as well..
jbigz12
Tim Anderson doesn’t have a great glove. He’s already committed 20 errors and might not be able to stick at SS. He is athletic and more toolsy than talented. I think he was rushed, he never learned any plate discipline in the minors and his defense was also suspect. TA might be in for a move to CF
jbigz12
He only has 2 major leaguers worth anything on the roster. Jose Abreu and avisail Garcia are the last 2 guys he can ship out and get a decent return
mikecws91
Anthony Swarzak could fetch a lottery ticket.
soxtober05
Melky.
Decent contact hitting of late, and not the WORST outfielder in the world. MIGHT be able to get a low AA or a couple of high A’s…if Hahn could find a way to wiggle out of some/all of his salary, he’d show ‘true GM gamesmenship’.
Kelly Wunsch N' Munch
As a lifelong White Sox fan I’m not as hopeful. Perhaps another Ray Durham with some more power. He strikes out in abundance. Very poor with breaking balls from what I’ve heard. Not saying he’ll be an awful player. Just not nearly as good as some would have you believe. White Sox are notoriously poor at developing position players.
KB R.
I agree in that I think he’s overrated, but he doesn’t strike out as much as you think he does. 309 Ks in 1,211 minor league plate appearances is about a 25.5% rate…… or 1 every 4 plate appearances. In today’s game, sadly, that’s about average for guys with even moderate power. Example, Mike Trout….. quite possibly the best player in the game right now strikes out 26.1% of the time. Just saying.
That said…… yeah, I think Moncada is overrated. I think he’ll be good but not a game changer. He’s got average fielding I hear but a strong arm. I think he becomes a .260 hitter with a .320-.330 OBP but he does have 20-30 potential in HR-SB. That’s what I think he does BEST case. He could offensively be like Addison Russell with more speed. .240 BA, .310-320 OBP…… but doesn’t have the fielding Russ has.
We shall see. It’s the best part of rebuilds…. watching and seeing what these players truly are. As a Cub fan it has been a GREAT experience since almost ALL the Cubs prospects have panned out in some form or another. Watching the Cubs bats starting to FINALLY come alive as of late is great. Willson Contreras is a MONSTER and is everything as advertised. Not only does he play adequate defense already behind the plate and have a CANON for an arm, but he’s currently hitting about .270 with a .340 OBP and is on pace for 23-25 HRs this year. Then of course there’s Rizzo, Bryant, Schwarber, Baez, Russell, Almora (who is insanely underutilized and underrated IMO – Almora has been one of the best hitters and most consistent all year) and this year’s surprise/young stud Ian Happ who’s doing GREAT in his debut season. For all those guys to pan out or at least be decent is so rare. I’m just happy something finally broke the Cubs way.
kindness
Speaking if overrated…..Kyle Schwarber. Can’t believe how much people drool over a guy hitting .180. A DH playing left field. Has he really panned out?
Priggs89
“I think he becomes a .260 hitter with a .320-.330 OBP but he does have 20-30 potential in HR-SB. That’s what I think he does BEST case.”
You are clearly waaaay too low on Moncada if you think that is his BEST case scenario. He has been (arguably) the #1 prospect in all of baseball for 2 years in a row now for a reason. If you want to say those numbers are where he most likely ends up, that’d be a reasonable prediction. But to say that’s the BEST case scenario for someone as talented as him is ridiculous.
saavedra
Ray Durham had a career 34 WAR. Moncada would do great if he can come close to that.
nrd1138
Moncada is not going to be Ray Durham, he will be far better IMO. The Sox have not been good at developing a lot of position players in the past, but good players rarely need ‘developing’ and the Sox now have a lot of them (including via the draft)
saavedra
He would do great to have a career similar to Ray’s.
whiddon3
Can someone explain how Moncada’s signing bonus works? I’m a little confused. After the trade, did the White Sox have to pay the rest of it? I would assume $31.5 million (or $63 million) would take a while to pay off… or did Boston pay $63 million for a guy they traded?
Dorothy_Mantooth
The BoSox paid 100% of it up front so Chicago does not owe any of this money to Yoan. They just need to pay him the league minimum this year. You’re welcome! (Jealous Red Sox fan here)
Kelly Wunsch N' Munch
Boston covered the tab so to speak. The entire “signing bonus” (plus penalty) is covered by the Red Sox. Another “perk” to the Sale trade. The White Sox get Moncada, the Red Sox pay the tab. Sort of like the Angels paying for Josh Hamilton with the potential for upside.
Dorothy_Mantooth
Moncada is the real deal, but ChiSox fans need to be patient with him. He will strike out a lot, but when he makes contact, the ball jumps off his bat. If he develops to his ceiling, we are talking 35-40 HR/year! Also, he does have great speed; he stole 70 bases in A-AA for the Red Sox. Not sure why he is only 17/24 this year but the speed is definitely there; a good 1st base coach can teach him to get better reads and be more successful in the Bigs. The kid is only 20 years old so be patient and in 2-3 years, the ChiSox should have a perennial All-Star at 2nd Base for years to come!
hyraxwithaflamethrower
Don’t know whether I’m happy about the Moncada promotion or not. On the one hand, the Sox are trying to catch the Giants for the #2 pick (or should be trying to, anyway). On the other, he doesn’t have much left to prove at AAA and could use the experience, especially since there are no service time issues. If the Sox keep trading relievers, though, it won’t matter,
Little Whirl
You’re a fan of the White Sox? Be happy.
saavedra
He probably will K a ton on his first good look, so it’s possible he still ends up with a negative WAR, giving the white sox some needed loses, but he’ll be more prepared for next year. I think it’s good for the CWS.
TraderRyan9
Dave dombrowski usually doesn’t trade away good prospects. If I was a gm I would be very wary of trading with him. Look at his track record. He usually dupes the opposing team
kidaplus
Ummmm, the trade was for Chris Sale…. in his prime…. for three years on a contract below 50% of his worth… he wasn’t in a position to “dupe” anyone.
socalblake
Of course they promote him after Kershaw pitches. Wouldn’t want to make him Kershaw’s ..itch in his major league debut.
Priggs89
Isn’t that a good thing that they weren’t stupid enough to do that to him?
socalblake
I still would have liked to see that match up.
bastros88
but this isn’t his major league debut, he debuted last season
socalblake
Yes, you are right. He had a small taste of the big leagues earlier. I think he’s promoted to stay this time.
cwsOverhaul
Hahn can maybe squeeze a decent prospect for combo of Swarzak (nice year) and Jennings just b/c he is a lefty. That is, if there is still a contending team needing some BP depth. DBacks come to mind despite low ranked system. No huge return warranted, so almost any team can have something of interest.
Djones246890
Nice to see the White Sox building something solid over there. I’m a Cubs fan, but I’ll never root against the Sox — except when they’re playing us. Lol.
Amazing what great things can happen when Reinsdorf stops playing the crony jobs game and let’s a real professional (Hahn) run things the way he wants. Long time coming for that to happen.
Yew Sukk
If he keeps eating 85 Twinkies a week Moncada will soon make Pablo Sandoval seem like a hard bodied beach wear model by comparison
southi
I think that Moncada will have his struggles, but overall will have a very good career before it is over (30-50 WAR possibly). However I also wouldn’t be surprised if more than one prospect in the current top 100 will equal or surpass him in career WAR (in other words he won’t be the cream of the crop). The future is ALWAYS so hard to predict when it comes to baseball careers.
Priggs89
Shoot, I wouldn’t be that surprised if other White Sox prospects top him in career WAR. Talented farm.
saavedra
It’s a little ridiculous that people here expect Moncada to have such a successful career when he hasn’t even had 25 plate appearances. Chill, he has talent, but don’t buy the tickets for the HoF tour just yet.
southi
Personally I haven’t seen any poster say Moncada is a future Hall of Famer. Even if he earned the max WAR I predicted he’d be far short of the average career accumulated WAR for HoF secondbasemen (which is 69.4 WAR). So if he had tons go his way looks like he’d be in the hall of very good at best. With Moncada’s skillset that is certainly within possibilities (with a non zero chance of flopping too).
the.sophisticant
never heard of him
white_sox9195
Im a white sox fan and it doesnt look good so far for Moncada at all
saavedra
Don’t talk like that about the next Robinson Cano! blasphemy!