The Boston Red Sox’s most highly touted prospect made his professional debut Monday in Greenville, S.C.
Yoan Moncada went 0-for-3 at the plate but reached on a walk and an error and scored two runs in his first game for the Single-A Greenville Drive.
“Even though I didn’t get the results or the hits, I definitely felt very excited,” the 19-year-old second baseman told MiLB.com through a translator. “That first (at-bat), I had the butterflies going, there after I settled down. I wish the results would have been better, but they weren’t.”
Moncada, who spent the early part of the season in extended spring training, committed one error but also made a couple of nifty plays in the field, as described by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier:
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It was not your typical minor league debut — the Drive began selling Yoan Moncada shirseys before he even set foot on their diamond — but Moncada is not your typical minor leaguer. The contract the Cuban defector signed with the Red Sox in March included a $31.5 million signing bonus — and forced Boston to shell out another $31.5 million to Major League Baseball for going over its allotted international bonus pool.
“He’s going to have to deal with a bit more attention than probably any of the other guys we’ve had,” Red Sox farm director Ben Crockett told the Globe.
Moncada said ahead of his debut that he was excited to play in front of fans again — a luxury not afforded during extended spring training.
“I enjoy it. I love it. I think it’s part of the job. I’ve always enjoyed it,” the infield prospect told the Globe. “I love playing in front of a lot of people, a lot of fans. That was one of the things about Fort Myers that was driving me crazy.”
An announced crowd of 4,190 turned out Monday to watch the Drive fall 13-11 to the Lexington Legends. Designated hitter Michael Chavis, the Red Sox’s top draft pick in 2014, homered and drove in three runs in the loss.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@MiLB
