BoSox Injection
Fansided

Looking back at the most hyped prospects in recent Red Sox memory

By Daniel Fox

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 27: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning during their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on April 27, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 27: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the Boston Red Sox hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning during their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on April 27, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 28: Yoan Moncada #65 of the Boston Red Sox sits at his locker before a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 28, 2016 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Ivins/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 28: Yoan Moncada #65 of the Boston Red Sox sits at his locker before a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 28, 2016 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Ivins/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Red Sox 3B Yoan Moncada

Robinson Cano with more power. That was the scouting report on Yoan Moncada when he entered the Red Sox system as a 19-year-old international free agent. Nobody had ever seen anything quite like him: A 6-2, 225-pound beast who had a sweet swing from both sides of the plate, light tower power, and top-grade speed.

It took the Red Sox $63 million to outbid a number of other teams, an unprecedented amount for a player who never stepped foot on a major league field. Moncada was so good that many of the teams that bid on his services wanted him to report straight to the major leagues, but the Red Sox started Moncada in Single-A. It was almost comical how overqualified he was at the minor league level.

He stole 49 bases in 52 tries in Greenville, then stole 45 bases and hit 15 home runs to kick off 2016 in High-A Salem, and more than held his own as a 21-year-old in Portland (.277/.379/.531). Like Benintendi, Moncada was deemed a once-in-a-generation prospect, otherworldly enough to bypass Triple-A and join the Red Sox as a September callup.

It was in this cup of coffee where Moncada would face his first real struggles and completely alter his future with the Red Sox. After collecting four hits in his first ten MLB at-bats, Moncada struck out in his next nine at-bats and made such a costly mistake on the bases that he was basically unused as the Red Sox pushed for the postseason.

That stretch would change the mind of general manager Dave Dombrowski. Once considered untouchable, Moncada could now be moved if the right player was available, and that player would be Chris Sale. When the  White Sox put their ace left-hander on the trade block, Dombrowski used a package centered around Moncada to outbid all other offers.

More than any other player on the list, Moncada has not lived up to the expectations. He’s struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness, and besides a BABIP-induced surge in 2019, has been pretty much an average hitter throughout his career.

He’s topped 20 home runs just once and has shown little of the speed that made him so dominant in the minors (He’s attempted just five steals in the last three years!). He’s still just 27 and has exhibited good plate discipline and defense, but expecting him to be the five-tool star he was in Greenville half a decade ago is a fool’s errand.

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