The Boston Red Sox are on the thick of the playoff race in the AL. Barring a catastrophe they’ll reach the playoffs with ease. However, the franchise doesn’t want to take anything for granted. They want to win the World Series at all costs, and they’ve made what could be a franchise-altering move on Wednesday.
According to several reports, the Red Sox are calling up top prospect after the rosters expand on September 1. He’s going to debut on Friday, although it remains unclear whether he’ll start or not. Whatever the case is, the sole addition of Moncada will make Boston an even more dangerous team. He’ll have a huge impact on the lineup.
Sure, Boston has the best offense in the AL this season. They’re pacing all of baseball in several offensive categories such as batting average (.285), OBP (.350), runs scored (724) and RBI (693). But it’s also clear they have a huge hole at third base.
Neither Travis Shaw (.248) nor Aaron Hill (.196) have produced at the plate, and things went south the last few weeks. In fact, the Red Sox rank 26th in third basemen production with a line of .248/.312/.393 and an OPS of .704. That’s pretty pedestrian for the hot corner, and manager John Farrell mentioned the possibility of changes in the near future during a recent interview.
Enter Moncada to the equation.
The top prospect moved from second to third base a few weeks ago, and the results have been impressive. Moncada has been above average at hot corner while playing for Double-A Portland. The buzz of a potential call-up has been around for the last few weeks, and now the Cuban will have the chance to show what he can do while playing meaningful games in September.
There’s no question Moncada is an intriguing prospect. He’s hitting .294 with a .918 OPS, 15 HR, 31 doubles, 62 RBI and 45 SB between A+ and AA. He has legitimate five-tool potential, and there’s no question he can produce at the plate. The biggest questions were on defense, but Moncada has looked good all over the infield this year. And his bat should certainly play well enough at 3B.
Don’t let the homerun total fool you, by the way. Moncada has some serious power, and he could become a 20-20 guy down the road.
Moncada’s rise has been incredible, going from A+ to the majors in 2016. Now he’ll have to prove he belongs with the big boys. But if the reports are of any indication, the Cuban star shouldn’t have problems to adjust to the Big Leagues. If anything, his presence makes the Red Sox an even more dangerous team down the stretch.
And that’s a scary thought for the rest of the AL.