When highly touted prospect Yoan Moncada signed with the Boston Red Sox with a $31.5 million signing bonus, costing the Red Sox twice that amount due to their exceeding the maximum amount they could spend on international prospects, fans were bound to be impatient for such a big investment to pay dividends at the big league level. However, 15 months after the signing, Yoan Moncada is still just in AA baseball with the Portland Sea Dogs, eliciting lots of calls from Red Sox fans to promote the Cuban star to Boston.
Those calls increased in quantity when Moncada went 2-5 at the Futures Game, earning MVP honors. However, there are several reasons why Moncada will not be a contributor during Boston's playoff push. He may arrive at Fenway next season, but there are several obstacles still in his way.
Position
The obvious hindrance to Moncada's path to Boston right now his the position he plays. The current second baseman for the Sea Dogs, Moncada's path is clearly barred by Boston's charismatic second baseman, Dustin Pedroia. Signed through 2021, Pedroia isn't going anywhere. Although fans desperate to see Moncada call for a trade of Pedroia, it would be quite foolish to trade their veteran second baseman, a leader both in the clubhouse and on the field, to make room for a Cuban prospect who, although signs point towards him becoming a star, still has question marks attached to his name. So the solution is likely going be to move Moncada to a new position, with third base being the most plausible option.
During a recent visit to Portland's Hadlock Field, Boston's president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that Moncada will play second base for the remainder of the season. With that comment, Dombrowski seemed to close the door on the notion that Moncada would reach Fenway Park this season. Eventually, Moncada will have to change positions.
Third base is a likely destination for the infielder, a position currently held down by Travis Shaw. If Shaw stays with the team, Shaw could slide across the diamond to first base, allowing Hanley Ramirez to take the designated hitter role, which will be vacated by a retiring David Ortiz. Left field was another mentioned potential destination for Moncada, but that seems to be the plausible landing spot for equally prized prospect Andrew Benintendi.
Shortstop, center field, and right field are held down by Boston's young All-Stars in Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts. Christian Vazquez and/or Blake Swihart are both young catchers, both capable of starting next season. That leaves third base as the most likely solution to the position change needed for the switch-hitting Cuban prospect.
Switch Hitting: Batting Right-Handed still a struggle
Another reason for holding Moncada back in Double-A is his struggles batting right-handed. A switch-hitter, Moncada entered Thursday's game hitting at a torrid .352 clip against right-handed pitching while with the Sea Dogs. However, in limited appearances against southpaws, Moncada has fared just 2-15 with two walks. He looks less smooth and rather uncomfortable from the right side of the plate, striking out nine times. After clouting a massive home run in the Futures Game while hitting right-handed, the game plan has seemed to be feed Moncada junk pitches when he bats right handed, keeping him uncomfortable and off balance in his trips to that side of the plate.
Moncada needs to see more left-handers in order to improve his productivity from the right side of the plate. On Monday, Moncada faced a left-handed starter and went 0-3 against the southpaw. A right-handed reliever entered, and Moncada went 2-2 with two long home runs. Hitting .314 overall, Moncada may not stay in Portland the entire season. However, his numbers against lefties must skyrocket before he can be considered major league-ready.
Defense
Although he was smooth defensively in 21 games at second base for Portland, Moncada's defense is still a large question mark. He made 10 errors for High-A Salem before his promotion. He made his first error in AA during Thursday's game, his 22nd contest at second base, but the Red Sox higher-ups are convinced there is still more room for improvement.
Portland manager Carlos Febles was quoted saying, "Defensively, there's still some things he needs to clean up." So, despite his nearly-flawless defensive performance so far, Moncada's glove needs to become more trustworthy before he warrants a call-up to Boston. This makes the position change even more hazardous, as Moncada's defense at his natural position is shaky, leaving big question marks as to how he will handle a change.
The Red Sox may have invested 63 million dollars in Moncada, but that doesn't mean that they have to rush him to the majors to make the most out of their money. Their last Cuban prospect, Rusney Castillo, was a massive bust for the Sox, and they must be sure to do what is best for Moncada's development, keeping him at the right pace, so that he will become the star the Red Sox saw in him when they decided he was worth 63 million.