One of the biggest Chicago White Sox issues in 2022 was the play of Yoan Moncada. He came to camp early this year in preparation for the World Baseball Classic where he will represent Team Cuba. It is going to be a great experience for him as he will be able to play for his country before the MLB season begins.
Moncada has spoken a lot over the last few days and it has been nice to hear from him. A lot of White Sox fans are out on him because of how bad he was in 2022. That might be rightfully so but he deserves a chance to bounce back again in 2023.
He was an MVP-caliber player in 2019 and was dealing with some COVID-19 issues in 2020. In 2021, he was a 4 WAR player before the disaster that was the 2022 season. Now, he comes into 2023 with another fresh slate.
It sounds as if he believes that he was rushed back from his oblique injury in 2022. He credits his off-season plan for feeling good already this season with no soreness. That is something that White Sox fans will be thrilled to hear.
Yoan Moncada is trying to have a major bounce-back season in 2023.
Yoán Moncada estimates he rushed back from his oblique injury last year. He’s already crediting his offseason program for helping him avoid shoulder soreness he said he usually gets at the start of spring. Sox are hopeful the WBC will have him locked in early
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) February 16, 2023
This seems to have been an issue with a lot of White Sox players in 2022. It was painfully obvious that there were plenty of players that were playing when they shouldn't have been. That wasn't for the betterment of the team but they did it anyway.
We can only hope that anyone responsible for that lack of care for the player's health is gone from the organization. This team has had health problems for a couple of years now and needs to improve in order to become a good team again.
"I've been impressed with Moncada since I got hired," Grifol said. "He's returned every call, answered every text. Got here early, he's in shape. Hungry for information. He's been available. He's asked questions. He's developing a relationship with Eddie Rodriguez which is huge' pic.twitter.com/6Da80K97HE
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) February 16, 2023
Pedro Grifol spoke about Moncada as well. This is the new manager who seems to have taken a liking to his new third baseman. He spoke about all of the things that Moncada has done this off-season to better himself and his chances of becoming an impact player once again.
Moncada was a detriment to the team in 2022 if we are being honest with ourselves. He has an outstanding glove but his bat left a lot to be desired (it was actually just straight-up bad). Now is his chance to redeem himself (he might not have many chances left).
Hey look, it’s Yoán Moncada at Sox spring training pic.twitter.com/qoYMHAaqHf
— Vinnie Duber (@VinnieDuber) February 15, 2023
Yoán Moncada pic.twitter.com/XZVHG9DMmU
— LaMond Pope (@lamondpope) February 15, 2023
The videos of Moncada swinging have been very good to see. It appears as if his swing is good right now and his body looks healthy. It is getting tiring to hear all of these positive things but it feels like this could be the year that is different for him.
It is nice that there are all of these positive vibes surrounding Moncada because the White Sox need it. However, the leash should be short moving forward. There are other players that might be better at giving this team a chance to win. With that said, the faith in Moncada is still there for now.