Grading Yoan Moncada's 2023 Chicago White Sox season

Yoan Moncada has been one of the most polarizing players ever since he arrived in the Chicago White Sox organization. He came in the deal that sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox. At the time, he was the number one prospect in baseball.

Here in 2023, Sale is still a good pitcher but he is not the superstar that he once was. However, the Red Sox are far and away the winners of that trade as they got the better end of the deal. Moncada's lack of progression as a player is the biggest reason for that.

He has had some really good moments in the league but he never became the all-star that he was projected to become. At this point, you can call him the most underwhelming player in the history of the Chicago White Sox (based on the hype).

There were players with far less money and far less expectations who became far better players since 2016. Now, here we are in 2023 wondering what the future holds for Moncada.

The Chicago White Sox need more from Yoan Moncada in every way.

He was injured a lot during the 2023 season but he was also pretty good at times as well. People don't want to hear it because of all the bad things but he was productive in the second half of the season.

Some people may point to the lack of pressure at that point in time because of the standings and that is a fair point. However, it is better than him not playing well at all.

Moncada only played in 92 games this year but his WAR was positive which is unlike most White Sox players in 2023. He slashed .260/.305/.425 and had an OPS of .730. He hit 11 home runs, had 40 RBIs, and 39 runs scored. With a full season on a good team, these might have been some pretty decent numbers.

On defense, Moncada plays third base very well. He didn't deserve to hit over Jake Burger before he was traded to the Miami Marlins but he did deserve to play third base defensively. That also goes into the fact that his year could have been much worse.

2023 Player Grade:

Yoan Moncada gets a C-. Almost every player in the organization is getting a D or an F so Moncada is going to get a C for not being a complete disaster for the entire year. His WAR wasn't in the negatives like most of the squad so he deserves credit for that.

The way Moncada finished 2023 by no means absolves him of how he has played in his career. He is a bust in every way but that doesn't mean he can't work back and become a good contributor.

2024 Outlook:

With the contract that he has, it is a lock that he will be with the White Sox again in 2024. He will be making elite player money while there too. Nobody in their right mind will trade for a player like that. The White Sox can only hope that he has a decent year again after a strong finish this year.