Boston Red Sox may have discovered a diamond in the rough

Yairo Munoz is a ‘really good hitter’ who plays six positions. 

The Red Sox may have a diamond in the rough in their minor league system.

Yairo Munoz spent the past three years playing in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization. During that time, he started at second base, third base, shortstop and all the outfield positions. In 196 big league games, he had a batting average of .273, with 10 homers and 55 RBIs. But after suffering a hamstring injury and arguing with the Cardinals organization over playing time, St. Louis released Munoz on March 7.

The Red Sox signed him two weeks later. Just two days before MLB froze all transactions because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He’s a really good offensive bat,” Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said, via MassLive. “That’s, I think, the main thing about him. I know St. Louis really liked his bat. And then the advantage is he can move all around (the infield). And he plays all the outfield spots. So you have a guy that offensively, if he’s swinging well, you know you can stick him in there defensively to fill in some spots. And you know he’s going to do a good job, but he’s going to continue to swing the bat.”

“He’s probably not an everyday player, but he’s valuable in different ways,” a National League scout said. “He can stay on a fastball. He’s a confident hitter.”

The controversy with Yairo Munoz: Why did he leave St. Louis?

There are some question marks surrounding Yairo Munoz’s departure from the St. Louis Cardinals.

After he suffered a hamstring injury on Feb. 29, he was scheduled for an MRI to determine the severity of his injury. Instead, he flew to the Dominican Republic without permission from the team. The Cardinals tried to reach Munoz for several days, but he refused to take their calls.

The determination made by the Red Sox and other teams who were interested in Munoz is that he was deeply unhappy in the Cardinals organization. He was frustrated by what he felt was a poorly defined role and lack of communication.

“I don’t know all the circumstances with that” Roenicke said. “I think we’re just seeing him as a player we got from another team that we like. And I think any time you go to a different spot, you’re starting new. And the opportunities are there. So that’s how I’m approaching this — is that we’ve got a player from somebody else that has proved that he can hit. And we’ll see what we have.”