Yoan Moncada has done what the White Sox have asked and he’s going to have to continue to do it a little bit longer.
The super prospect is in the midst of a fantastic run at Triple-A Charlotte in which he has reduced his strikeout rate and shown defensive improvement. But even as the date nears in Moncada could be promoted without losing a year of service time it appears he’ll remain with the Knights. General manager Rick Hahn said Tuesday that the White Sox are very pleased with the efforts of the top-ranked prospect in baseball. He also noted the club intends to make sure Moncada is sufficiently prepared for when he finally gets the call.
“He’s shown a fair amount of progress in each of those areas that we’ve asked of him,” Hahn said. “That said, we want to see that over an extended period of time. It’s awfully important to not lose sight of the fact this is a 21-year-old player, one who was not playing two years ago as of right now. It’s a guy who has fewer than 325 or so plate appearances above A-ball.
So we think the world of his talent and future and we think he is responding to the challenges we put ahead of him, but we’re not going to rush this.”
The team’s fanbase is gripped with Yoansanity. Moncadamania is peaking on the South Side.
But if Moncada’s current play hasn’t changed the team’s thinking, the fan factor isn’t likely to budge it, either.
Over his last 16 games, Moncada is hitting .385/.446/.585 with three home runs and seven RBIs and 16 runs scored. Moncada also has reduced his strikeout rate to 21.6 percent with 16 whiffs in his last 74 plate appearances after 18 in his first 55. The defensive improvements have come along nicely, too, particularly in turning double plays and more aggressive angles to the ball.
With May 14 fast approaching -- the date at which the team wouldn’t surrender a year of service time by promoting Moncada -- there’s been hope the White Sox might promote the second baseman. But Hahn doesn’t sound like someone on the verge of unleashing the team’s most-hyped prospect on the fanbase.
“We think the world of his talent and future and we think he is responding to the challenges we put ahead of him, but we’re not going to rush this,” Hahn said. “As satisfying as it may be for all of us to see him out there even tonight at the big league level because it gives you that shot in the arm and shows there is progress in the rebuild, it’s not in the long term interest of Yoan Moncada or the club. He’ll be here when he answers all the questions we have for him with the developmental standpoint at the minor league level. He’s done a good job, but there is a benefit to letting him answer all of those and continue the repetitions at that level until that next stage takes place at this level.”