Yoan Moncada’s move to third base looks like it’s going just fine.
The Boston Red Sox are starting to use the super prospect at the hot corner in an attempt to broaden his skill set, a strategy that ultimately could get Moncada to the major leagues a little quicker.
Red Sox veteran Dustin Pedroia is playing a solid second base for the big club and is signed for a few more years, so Boston recently started using Moncada at third for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.
So far, so good for the Cuban prospect, who broke into American baseball at second base.
Baseball America’s Ben Badler, considered one of the top prospect evaluators in the baseball media, saw Moncada play third Monday night, and he had some good things to report, especially on defense.
The traditional baseball scouting metric is based on a scale from 20 to 80, with 50 being considered major league average, so a 70 grade on Moncada’s throwing arm obviously is very good, especially considering he has spent so much time at second base, which requires shorter tosses.
Here’s a look at Moncada’s arm on one of the plays Monday.
There also was this slick play from over the weekend, which really showcases the whole package at third base.
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Moncada also continues to hit. The 21-year-old has 12 hits in his last 10 games, including a home run, and he has collected six RBI during that stretch. He’s still striking out quite a bit — 13 times in his last 10 games — but he’s also seeing the ball better, taking five walks in his last four games, and Badler also noticed some impressive patience from Moncada at the plate Monday.
Moncada is hitting .296 this season between Single-A Salem and Portland. He’s hitting .280 with nine home runs and 23 RBI in 38 games since the Red Sox promoted him to Double-A.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
