Chicago White Sox's patient approach with Moncada paying off
Patience.
It's a word most Chicago White Sox fans have been hearing since general manager Rick Hahn traded Chris Sale and Adam Eaton on consecutive early December days in 2016, officially launching a rebuild.
Hahn got a promising package of young players for Sale and Eaton, headed by Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito.
Those four are viewed as cornerstones of the Sox's future, but Hahn has been persistent with his pleas for patience.
"We have to exhibit patience," Hahn said before the White Sox opened a six-game homestand last Friday. "Allow these guys time to grow, not just at the minor-league level but also with the growing pains that are inevitable with young cores as they come together in Chicago."
On the positional side, Moncada is far and away viewed as the best of the Sox's core.
One of four players acquired from the Red Sox in the Sale trade, Moncada was rated as one of the top prospects in baseball from the minute he agreed to a $31.5 million signing bonus with Boston at the age of 19.
Now approaching his 23rd birthday (May 27), Moncada is gradually starting to make his mark as a major-league talent.
"He's barely scratching the surface of who he is," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "There's no way that any of us believe in any way, shape or form that he's a finished product. He continues to develop his skill set, continues to learn, make adjustments as do most players.
"But for one as young as he is, with the skill set he brings to the table, you hope that it ultimately winds up playing really big dividends. I believe we expect that in the near future."
Joining the Sox from Class AAA Charlotte right after the all-star break last season, Moncada looked lost while batting .105 and striking out 16 times in 38 July at-bats.
The White Sox stayed patient, and Moncada upped the average to .238 in August and .274 in September.
"At the beginning, it was a little difficult for me to adjust to the way the pitchers pitched here, but I made adjustments," Moncada said through a translator. "I got used to it and by the end of the season I did good. I think that all those adjustments I made the last part of the season, I can carry to this season and have success."
Moncada got off to a slow start this year, but he was 10-for-30 with 3 doubles, 4 home runs, 8 RBI and 3 stolen bases heading into Thursday night's game at Kansas City. The surge raised his batting average from .192 to .250. Against the Royals on Thursday night, he went 3-for-5 with a homer to raise his average to .264.
A switch hitter, Moncada is lethal from the left side of the plate (.288, 5 home runs, 10 RBI) and still trying to prove himself from the right side (.130, no homers, 1 RBI).
"I'm in the learning process," he said. "It's step by step. I think that I have a lot of talent and I can be a much better player overall. I try to improve and get better every day."
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