Yoan Moncada was signed to his massive contract as a second baseman. However, it was obvious that Moncada, if he was to make it to the Boston Red Sox, would have to make a position switch, as veteran Dustin Pedroia mans second base at Fenway Park, and he will continue to so throughout the length of Moncada's contract. But Red Sox President of Baseball Operations put a rest to the rumors, saying that Moncada would not switch positions in 2016. The rumors looked to be unfounded.
Or so we thought.
Fast forward to August 28, and Moncada has played his eighth game at third base for the AA Portland Sea Dogs. Third base is the position the Red Sox need the most help at, with a struggling platoon of Travis Shaw and Aaron Hill failing to produce. Moncada has looked MLB-ready against right-handed pitching, producing at a crisp .316 clip. He struggled initially against left-handers, but he has improved recently, 3-9 with four walks against southpaws since August 11th.
This includes a monster home run blasted by Moncada in the first inning of Sunday's game, a 383-foot jack to left-center. He's upped his 2016 batting average against southpaws to .245. The switch-hitter may not be major league ready against lefties yet, but Moncada could prove to be a better platoon option than what the Red Sox have right now. Is the position switch a sign that the Red Sox are considering a promotion for the prospect that cost them 63 million dollars?
Moncada adjusting to third base
Although he made a critical error in Sunday's game, Moncada has adjusted to his position fairly well. He seemed confident about the move and has played like such. He's made several diving plays at the hot corner. He has made 3 errors, but considering defense hasn't been Moncada's trademark in his career, and considering the great change from second base to third base, where the ball gets to you a lot quicker than it does at second.
He made an error that cost the Sea Dogs the game on Sunday, misplaying a tough hopper that he tried to play on the short-hop. Although he is adjusting to the hot corner, his overall .957 fielding percentage this season is better than Travis Shaw's .937 mark. It's not significantly better, but it does show that the Red Sox wouldn't be losing much defensively, and they might even be gaining something offensively.
Moncada's improving offense looking good
The bat has always been there for Moncada. As aforementioned, he has been stellar against right-handed pitching. Featuring an excellent plate approach while batting lefty, Moncada has shown home run power and excellent gap power. His speed is a tool that the Red Sox could use, and he would be easily faster than both Shaw and Hill. He has stolen 93 bases since the beginning of 2015, while being caught just fifteen times.
If the Red Sox lose confidence in Shaw, who is hitting .148 in his last 23 games, will they bring up Moncada? The one thing about the potential promotion is that, if the Red Sox want to consider having Moncada available for a possible postseason run, they need to promote the infielder before September 1st. The speculation is crazier than ever, but it'll take just a couple of days to see whether the Red Sox want Moncada for the stretch run.