Breaking down the Chicago White Sox prospect haul

1. Yoan Moncada, 2B/3B

Moncada is an absolute stud in every sense of the word, and there is no reason to quibble over the Red Sox decision to sign him for more than $60 million at the age of 19. He is the best offensive prospect in baseball.

In two years in the minor leagues, Moncada slashed .287/.395/.480 with 23 home runs and 94 stolen bases. The Red Sox brought him up for the stretch run, and he managed four hits and a double in eight games but did strike out 12 times in only 20 trips to the plate. It’s clear that Moncada has outstanding five-tool potential, but may need more time in the minors. To date, he has played only 45 games above Single-A.

There is every reason to think that Moncada will become a perennial All-Star candidate despite the fact that he still has not settled on a position. He has the ability to play third base, second base, or even in left field. At the plate, the switch-hitter has excellent power and an ability to spray line drives all over the field. He was a terror on the basepaths in the minor leagues and swiped 49 bags in only 81 games in Single-A in 2015. As he begins finding himself up against a more experienced catcher, Moncada will have to work on relying more on his ability to pick his spots wisely than fall back on his pure speed.

Moncada will have to cut back on his strikeouts, as he whiffed 124 times in 106 games in the minors last year. The changeup is the one pitch that has given him the most trouble to date, but he has a good eye at the plate. If MLB pitchers attempt to feed him offspeed pitches early in the count, he should eventually have enough discipline to lay off.

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Right now, Andrew Benintendi, who the Red Sox preferred to keep over Moncada, is the more polished player, but the White Sox got the player with better upside. Yoan Moncada has the power, speed, athleticism, and ability to make adjustments to his swing and approach to have a long All-Star career in the major leagues.