Fox Sports MLB Insider Jon Paul Morosi reported Thursday that Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada will be officially introduced by the Boston Red Sox today, in Fort Myers, Florida. After the bidding war for Moncada’s services ended, the 19-year-old agreed to play for Boston. “It was finalized Thursday, and the Red Sox officially announced Moncada has signed a minor league contract.”
With this introduction, Moncada’s presence will loom over the shoulders of other Red Sox infielders, young and old, this spring. He is being made in the media to be the next big thing for baseball fans to ‘geek out’ about.
One thing to note, with a suggested James Earl Jones voice: he is not a Jedi, yet.
Ken Rosenthal, also reported for Fox Sports, yesterday, that nobody in baseball expected the Red Sox to be where Moncada landed. “The Red Sox do not have an obvious long-term spot for Moncada, who projects to play second base, third or left field — Dustin Pedroia is signed through 2021, Pablo Sandoval through 2019, Hanley Ramirez through 2018. But since when is assembling too much talent a bad thing?”
Only if any players show fear will the Red Sox go to the dark side, this year. Out of the postseason; not New York. That’s the other ‘evil empire’.
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The Red Sox master of the infield, Pedroia still rules at second base, Moncada’s preferred position. The young apprentice is expected to spend 2015 in the minors, while Pedroia tries to help the big club win another championship. Will the veteran show signs of fear or anger at the deal? Likely, no. The 2008 American League MVP is too much the professional to let himself openly be jealous of a rookie.
What is there to be jealous about? Even with a sub-par year, by Pedroia’s standards, he led the Red Sox in hits (153) and batting average (.278) last season. His contract is one that will make him question what to do with $96.5 million, on top of what he has already made in his nine-year career. Highly unlikely the money spent on Moncada will haunt Pedroia late at night.
Considering the money also spent, this offseason, on Sandoval and Ramirez, the Red Sox would rather see a return on their investment than seeing a 19-year-old swinging the bat, like a lightsaber, across the plate. At least, not until they have seen his use of force in the minor system for a season. But, like any good saga, there is always a call to beginning the adventure and a climactic finale. We will see that call, today, for Moncada, but when will the veterans have their inevitable end?