Moncada at Third?
In an article written by Christopher Crawford, special to ESPN.com, Crawford indicates the following about Moncada, “Since Aug. 12, he has spent all of his time at third base, and reports have come back positive on his time at the hot corner. Wherever Moncada plays for Boston, he has a chance to be a difference-maker, even in a lineup that ranks among the best in baseball.”
It is hardly coincidental that Moncada has been preparing to play the position that has yielded anchor-esque production, and dragging the Red Sox offense down with regularity.
Even Farrell claims that he needs more production from the position and that is why he is so adamant in his discussions with Dave Dombrowski on increasing Moncada’s role from initially that of only a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter, to replacing Shaw and getting the majority of the at-bats in the third base platoon with Aaron Hill.
While Moncada is a switch-hitter with great speed, he is far more proficient hitting from the left side, as he is batting .314 with a .993 OPS left-handed compared to .171/.710 from the right side.
Moncada will be active for Friday’s contest in Oakland, as his promotion has already been announced by the Red Sox.
Moncada has arrived far earlier than initially anticipated which would seem to indicate that Farrell has convinced Dombrowski of his plan for significantly more usage of the prospect than anyone had predicted.
Next: Red Sox Calling Up Yoan Moncada To Play Third Base
Only time will tell how successful Farrell has been in lobbying Dombrowski to remove the reigns from our prized prospect. Nevertheless, early indications lead me to believe that Farrell’s request was agreeable to Dombrowski.