Yoan Moncada seems to have struck a balance amid his struggles.
Moncada, who is considered the Boston Red Sox’s No. 1 prospect, entered Sunday hitting .200 (18-for-90) with one homer, a .576 OPS and 28 strikeouts in 25 games with Single-A Greenville. The 20-year-old Cuban infielder isn’t hanging his head in the face of adversity nor is he just happy to be here.
“Even though the results aren’t there, I feel a lot better in the box,” Moncada told the Boston Herald’s Steve Buckley earlier this week through translator/fellow Sox prospect Mauricio Dubon. “I’ve been feeling really good and everything.”
Moncada is subject to immense pressure. Not only is he the top farmhand in an organization rich with minor league talent. The Red Sox also shelled out $63 million — a $31.5 million signing bonus plus a 100 percent tax to Major League Baseball — to land his services on the international free-agent market in spring training. Expectations extend to the moon, with many proclaiming Moncada a future All-Star.
But for as impressive as Moncada’s tools are, there inherently is going to be an adjustment period during the early stages of his professional career in the United States. Moncada already is learning this reality, making his preparation and drill work at Greenville of the utmost importance.
“He has a lot of work to do to make the big leagues,” Greenville Drive manager Darren Fenster told Buckley. “He has major league tools, but he’s not a major leaguer just yet. And he’s here, just like everyone else, knowing he has to work his way up the organizational ladder and hopefully wind up in Boston.
“He hasn’t had the results that everyone, myself included, want. But he’s putting himself into a position to get better every day.”
Moncada has struggled defensively, committing nine errors while playing exclusively second base. Moncada’s bat remains his biggest asset, however, and his most glaring weakness involves identifying and adjusting to breaking balls. Thus, improving against offspeed stuff has been a primary focus.
“It’s just right now I’m having a hard time picking up the red dot,” Moncada told Buckley. “But things will turn around. I’m confident. I need to work on a couple of things, but this is a process.”
According to Buckley, Fenster used words like “coachable” and “aptitude” while discussing Moncada, who has all of the raw talent in the world. That bodes well for Moncada’s future, even if there are some bumps along the way.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@kymakenadean
