GLENDALE, Ariz. — White Sox manager Pedro Grifol has an important task.
Keep third baseman Yoan Moncada motivated.
Moncada’s talent has never been questioned. It wasn’t when the Red Sox handed him a $31.5 million bonus to sign as an international free agent in 2015 and paid an additional $31.5 million tax for exceeding their bonus pool. It wasn’t a question when the White Sox traded Chris Sale for him and Michael Kopech in 2016, when Moncada was rated by some as the top prospect in baseball.
Or, when Moncada batted .315/.367/.548 with 25 homers, 34 doubles and a .915 OPS in 132 games in 2019, or when the Sox gave Moncada a $70 million extension the following spring, a deal that will pay him $17 million this season.
Grifol saw it from the other side of the field, as a Royals coach. He saw it watching Moncada make the World Baseball Classic’s All-Tournament team after batting .435 with a home run, four doubles, five RBI and four runs scored.
“I definitely knew he could do this because I’ve been in this division for the last 10 years,” Grifol said, “and ’19, he was a really tough guy to gameplan against from both sides of the plate. He would take a walk with the best of them. He’d show some power when it was given to him or mistakes were made on him.
“He could run, play defense. He made some incredible plays. I’ve seen him do all this stuff. So, it’s my job to keep him motivated and keep him playing baseball the way it needs to be played. That’s my responsibility.”
In the abbreviated 2020 season, Moncada batted .225/.320/.385, a significant falloff attributed in part to COVID-19. In 2021, he played 144 games but hit just 14 homers to go with a .263/.375/.412 batting line. Last season, Moncada strained an oblique muscle on the last day of spring training and didn’t play until May. He never got untracked and finished with a .212/.273/.353 hitting line with 14 homers in 104 games.
Moncada did provide good defense, which can be expected. But what will the offensive production look like? He came to camp this spring ahead of schedule, motivated to prepare for the World Baseball Classic but also the Sox after the disappointment of 2022.
It’s an important year for Moncada. The Sox want to see 2019 all over again. Maybe more.
“He also saw what he did in 2019,” Grifol said. “There’s some accountability there, too. He’s well aware of the player he has been and can be. So, he’s locked in, man. I’m not saying he’s going to go out there 162 games and be perfect, nobody is. We are all going to have our lapses. But our conversations have been really good. He understands who he has been, who he needs to be. He understands the urgency.”
His performance for Team Cuba, under pressure, before vocal crowds, provided a boost. He was uncharacteristically expressive at times.
“It’s just the moment was so big and the stage was so big that it was just like a playoff game atmosphere,” Moncada said through translator Billy Russo. “You just let your emotions go.”
But the WBC is behind him now, Moncada said.
“Now, you put all your focus on the season and the things you need to do every day in order to stay healthy and perform every day and have a successful season,” he said.
“Injuries definitely had an effect on my performance the last couple of years, but I can’t blame it all on the injuries. Especially this year, the past is the past. If I stay healthy, I’m going to be able to perform.”
