White Sox: 5 Bold Predictions for 2019 Season

Yoan Moncada Joins 20/20 Club

Yoan Moncada was the object of many Sox fans scorn last season. The once top-ranked prospect in MLB didn’t fare too well in his first full major league season. Moncada was originally acquired as part of a trade from the Boston Red Sox that included Michael Kopech and Luis Alexander Basabe in exchange for Chris Sale.

While Moncada struggled mightily last season, many Sox fans began to already declare that the White Sox lost their trade with the Red Sox. Moncada finished 2018 with a .235/.315/.400 slash line with 17 home runs, 61 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. However, he also had a team-leading 217 strikeouts at the plate and nearly set the single-season strikeout record.

Entering this season, Moncada has moved over to third base and the transition went smoothly throughout Spring Training. This Spring, Moncada had a slash line of .358/.469/.642 with a 1.110 OPS through 53 at-bats for the Sox. He did however still struggle with strikeouts as he had 16 but he does have the potential to have a quality season in 2019.

The bold prediction for Moncada is that he hits more than 20 home runs and steals more than 20 bases. He’s never had more than 12 stolen bases in a single major league season but the potential is there and he came close to hitting 20 home runs last season. Many people might not think this is much of a bold prediction, but for a player that struggled a lot last season, Moncada becoming another 20/20 player for the Sox this season would be a big step forward for the young infielder.