5 reasons to question the 2023 Chicago White Sox's improvement
By Joe Santoro
4. Yoan Moncada's decline
The Chicago White Sox need Yoan Moncada to have a big year in 2023.
The Yoan Moncada that went into the 2022 season was still full of potential and promise. Yes, he had a down year in 2021, hitting .261 with 14 home runs and 61 RBI. But he still gave the Sox 520 at-bats and 144 games and was just two years removed from a 25-homer, .315 season in 2019.
The Moncada that heads into the 2023 season is in a three-year decline. He hit 12 homers and 51 RBI last year in just 397 at-bats so some potential remains. But he also hit just .212 a year ago and played just 104 games.
Can he be trusted? He will turn 28 years old in late May. He's no longer a prospect. He's a guy wilting under the pressure of once being traded for Chris Sale.
Moncada's contract will pay him $17 million this year and $24 million next year so he'll be difficult to trade. So keep clicking your heels and hope for the best.