Just a month after calling highly touted prospect Andrew Benintendi up to the majors, the Boston Red Sox have called up another one of their top prospects to help the team make a postseason push.
This time, it's the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball (according to MLB.com), Yoan Moncada.
The team announced late Wednesday night that Moncada would be called up prior to Friday night's game against the Oakland Athletics. Boston is off on Thursday.
Due to the fact that players must be on the roster before September 1st in order to participate in postseason play, Boston knew they had to make the move soon, and they did so on Wednesday. Currently, the Red Sox are 74-59, two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East and two games above both the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers for a Wild Card spot.
Rosters can also expand from 25 men to 40 men in the month of September, so no counter transaction is needed.
Identical to Benintendi's call-up, Moncada will jump straight from Double-A Portland to the big leagues, and will not spend time in Triple-A Pawtucket for now.
Moncada is recognized as a five-tool Phenom, and many expect the 21-year-old to become a star in the majors for quite some time.
Moncada's path to the majors
The Cuban was granted permission by the government to pursue a career in Major League baseball in 2014, and many teams immediately showed interest in signing the young man. The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers were also very interested at the time, but Moncada chose to sign with the Red Sox. He was signed to a $31.5 million bonus as just a 19-year-old, by far the largest contract for an amateur. It also came with a 100% luxury tax, meaning Boston paid $63 million to get Moncada in their organization.
In 2015, Moncada started off his Red Sox minor league career with the Class-A Greenville Drive. Lasting the rest of the season there, Moncada played 81 games hitting .278 with eight homers, 38 RBIs, and stole an incredible 49 bases.
To start 2016, the 21-year-old was assigned to the Class-A Advanced Salem Red Sox, and continued his success. Through 61 games, the Cuban hit .307 with four homers, 34 RBIs, and swiped 36 bags while being caught just eight times.
In June, it was announced that the Red Sox would promote Moncada to the next level, the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.
During his time with the Sea Dogs, Moncada was named to the All-Star Futures Game along with his teammate, Andrew Benintendi. Moncada was on Team World, while Benintendi was on Team USA. Entering the game as one of the biggest names, Moncada lived up to it, as he went 2-5 with a two-run homer to win Futures Game MVP. Team World went on to win 11-3.
With the Sea Dogs, Moncada began to show his power. Through 45 games, he batted .277 with 11 homers, 28 RBIs, and had nine steals. However, he hit just .167 against lefties, which is something to keep note of.
Moncada's fit in Boston
When he first came out of Cuba, Moncada was listed as a middle-infielder with the potential to play center field. The Boston Red Sox already have one of the most well-rounded offenses in baseball. Their outfield consists of three young potential stars in Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Benintendi. Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Pedroia make up the middle infield, and both are hitting over .300 this season.
Hanley Ramirez has taken over as a first baseman for the first time in his career and has done a solid job. David Ortiz is the DH, and will be retiring after this season despite putting up terrific offensive numbers.
Third base is the only major gap. Pablo Sandoval and Travis Shaw were in a battle during Spring Training for the job, and Shaw came out victorious. Sandoval is in his second year of a big five-year, $95 million contract but got hurt early in the season and will not return. Shaw started out terrific but has slowed down. The Red Sox also traded for Aaron Hill during the season, but he has not been performing well at the plate.
So as expected, Moncada will take over third base. It is unknown if he will be an everyday starter, but he will certainly receive playing time. In the future, Shaw could become a full-time first baseman, while Hanley will likely slide into a DH role with Ortiz retiring. Boston has a lot of options now that Moncada is in the big leagues, and expect many moves to take place.
Moncada will provide huge contact, power, and speed to the Red Sox lineup. He has the potential to become a superstar.
So after just one and a half years in the minor leagues, let the Yoan Moncada era begin in Boston.