Yoan Moncada

Yoan Moncada

28-Year-Old Third Baseman3B
Chicago White Sox
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Moncada is still a young man as he will not turn 28 until late May, but we have certainly seen a range of outcomes with him since he became a full-time player in 2018. He peaked in 2019 and between Covid, injuries, and personality clashes with his now former manager, has backslid into a shell of his former self. 2022 was him taking all the worst parts of his previous seasons and putting them into one terrible season. If his slump was truly just a clash with the manager and he can rebound to even his 2021 levels, fantasy managers should be happy with that and treat both 2019 and 2022 as outlier seasons. He is a patient hitter who was surprisingly dreadful against righties (.204/.257/.325) a year removed from hitting .268/.385/.431 against them. Top that off with his anemic .169/.239/.291 hitting at home where he normally mashes and it is easy to see where things went wrong for him. The park is not changing, but Pedro Grifol may be able to get from him what Tony LaRussa never could. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#332
ADP
$Signed a five-year $70 million contract extension with the White Sox in March of 2020. Contract includes a $25 million team option ($5 million buyout) for 2025.
Mashes solo homer
3BChicago White Sox
September 29, 2023
Moncada went 1-for-2 with a solo homer and a second run scored in Thursday's 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.
ANALYSIS
Moncada drew a leadoff walk in his first plate appearance before coming around to score on an Andrew Vaughn home run that put the White Sox up 2-0. The third baseman would then add an insurance run with a leadoff shot to open the bottom of the fourth, giving him five long balls this month to go along with 11 RBI. Moncada's hit safely in six of his last eight games, though he's also struck out at least one time in 12 straight.
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Batting Stats
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2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
4
2
20
42
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
4
3
9
1
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2021
 
 
+4%
OPS vs LHP
2023
 
 
+9%
OPS vs LHP
2022
 
 
+35%
OPS vs LHP
2021
 
 
+17%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2021vs Left .745 318 35 9 34 2 .257 .336 .408
Since 2021vs Right .715 1084 119 28 118 4 .243 .322 .393
2023vs Left .783 70 6 3 11 0 .288 .329 .455
2023vs Right .716 283 33 8 29 1 .253 .297 .419
2022vs Left .788 94 12 4 13 1 .241 .330 .458
2022vs Right .582 339 29 8 38 1 .204 .257 .325
2021vs Left .700 154 17 2 10 1 .252 .344 .356
2021vs Right .816 462 57 12 51 2 .268 .385 .431
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2021
 
 
+4%
OPS at Home
2023
 
 
+8%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+32%
OPS on Road
2021
 
 
+19%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2021Home .736 695 77 21 80 2 .251 .331 .405
Since 2021Away .709 707 77 16 72 4 .241 .320 .389
2023Home .754 190 22 4 21 1 .280 .332 .423
2023Away .699 163 17 7 19 0 .237 .270 .429
2022Home .530 189 13 5 21 0 .169 .239 .291
2022Away .699 244 28 7 30 2 .244 .299 .400
2021Home .851 316 42 12 38 1 .284 .386 .465
2021Away .717 300 32 2 23 2 .241 .363 .353
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Stat Review
How does Yoan Moncada compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.18
 
BB Rate
5.4%
 
K Rate
30.0%
 
BABIP
.349
 
ISO
.166
 
AVG
.260
 
OBP
.303
 
SLG
.426
 
OPS
.729
 
wOBA
.319
 
Exit Velocity
89.3 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
33.2%
 
Barrels/PA
5.9%
 
Expected BA
.257
 
Expected SLG
.413
 
Sprint Speed
22.1 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
42.5%
 
Line Drive %
26.1%
 
Fly Ball %
31.4%
 
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
With an offseason to recover from 2020's bout with COVID-19, Moncada rebounded. His power remained down, though power estimators suggest he was a couple homers shy of what was expected. The chief improvement came from career bests in K% and BB%. However, Moncada's Statcast card is misleading since his average exit velocity on grounders was two mph above his avgEV on flyballs. Exit velocity drives power, so Moncada needs to loft the ball more if he wants to increase home run output. Another concern is stealing only three bases in five tries. Moncada's line drives and groundballs will help maintain an elevated BABIP, but his K% still dampens his average. Age is on Moncada's side, so he could make some adjustments, but the chances of him becoming a superstar player in Major League Baseball are dwindling.
Moncada contracted COVID-19 before the season started and said in September that his body still hadn't recovered. It was plain as day he was not himself; Moncada slashed just .225/.320/.385 with six homers and 24 RBI over 52 games in 2020. He's just one year removed from hitting .315 with 25 long balls and 79 RBI in 132 contests, but his elevated K% and IFFB% gave him little chance at success. He was also unable to swipe a single bag after recording double-digit steals totals in both 2018 and 2019. Moncada has shown that he can be a big-time contributor in all five categories and can be a cornerstone of a fantasy squad, when healthy. Moncada should be in line to hit in the top third of the order for a powerful Chicago offense in 2021. The 25-year-old spent most of his time in the No. 2 spot (40 of 52 games) a season ago.
Something was in the water on the South Side of Chicago; the free-swinging Tim Anderson won the batting title and his free-swinging teammate Moncada raised his batting average 80 points from 2018. We always knew this kid could hit as the ball flies off his bat and his Statcast batted-ball data lives in the 80th percentile or above, but we wondered if he could make enough contact to take full advantage of that. We have our answer. Moncada reduced his strikeout rate, and while 27.5% is still not great, it is an improvement over the previous years and that is what we want to see from young hitters. The shift from second base to third base puts a premium on the power numbers from the position, and Moncada answered that call last year. Of his 50 career homers, 42 have come from the left side of the plate, so while he switch hits, the production is lopsided in favor of his time against righties.
Moncada took a step back in 2018. His K% edged up from 32% to 33.4% while his BB% slipped from 12.6% to 10.3%. He hit 5% more flyballs, but a drop in HR/FB from 18.2% to 11.7% mitigated the effect. He grades well in average exit velocity but fell back in barrel rate, helping explain the drop in power. Moncada's 12-for-18 mark in steals was disappointing after the speed he displayed in the low minors. He also displayed less range on defense, contributing to -5 defensive runs saved. There's a chance he's moved to third or the outfield, but for now the White Sox plan on keeping him at the keystone. Moncada will turn 24 in May, so there's no reason to lose faith, but he's near the point where skills maturation is needed if he's to live up to the hype. Titles are often won taking chances. While there aren't any signs his breakout is imminent, the acquisition cost has softened to the point the reward could outweigh the risk.
After slashing .282/.377/.447 with 12 home runs and 17 stolen bases for Triple-A Charlotte to begin the season, Moncada was summoned back to the bigs for good on July 18. Other than a 10-game visit to the disabled list for a shin contusion in late August, Moncada was the White Sox's regular second baseman, a spot he'll likely occupy for the entirety of 2018. Moncada still has a lot of work to do, but especially down the stretch, he displayed the skills that has fans and fantasy enthusiasts salivating. After returning from the DL, Moncada hit .276 with five homers and two steals, scoring 11 while driving in 18. However, he also fanned 30 times in 109 plate appearances. Curiously, he may not be aggressive enough, taking strikes and falling into bad counts as his swing rate in and out of the zone are below average. Still just 22, Moncada has plenty of time to figure it out. Temper expectations this season, but his ceiling is still that of a fantasy stud.
Moncada was part of the headline with the biggest font this offseason, when Boston traded him along with three other prospects to the White Sox for Chris Sale. Widely considered the top prospect in the game, he moved from High-A Salem to the majors last season, both burnishing his prospect cred and exposing a potential hole at the upper levels. Moncada cruised through the Carolina League with a .923 OPS and 36 steals in 61 games for Salem before being promoted to Double-A Portland, where he clubbed 11 homers in 45 games. He showed all of his elite offensive tools, but with the higher level came a drastic increase in strikeouts. Pitch recognition and handling breaking balls are the final touches, but he'll hit. Defensively, he'll stick at second base for now, but he has the physical size and bat to play anywhere.
Moncada made his organizational debut for Boston last season, the Cuban defector's first game action since December 2013. He was kept behind in extended spring training and was then assigned to Low-A Greenville. He was slow to start – he hit .200 in his first 30 games – but Moncada hit his stride in the second half. He slashed .310/.415/.500/.915 with 45 steals after the All-Star break and has shot to the top of the organization’s prospect rankings. Moncada’s a well-built athlete who generates good bat speed and doesn’t cheat on his swing. He’ll hit for power and steal bases and has the tools to defend. He played second base at Greenville, but could move to third base or center field in the future. He plays the game with swagger and tends to be too flashy in the field. The Red Sox will probably challenge him at High-A Salem at some point this year.
Moncada may be the best young prospect to defect from Cuba this decade. While he lacks the pedigree and track record in international and professional league play of recent Cuban defectors who've become stars, Moncada may have the best all-around talent. He has excellent bat speed, plus raw power, outstanding speed with a plus arm. It's not clear if he'll play in the infield or outfield. It may take a few years before he's ready for the majors, but MLB teams will likely be willing to pay hefty taxes to blow past international signing limits to secure him. He should be a top prospect to grab in keeper leagues as a result.
More Fantasy News
On bench Wednesday
3BChicago White Sox
September 27, 2023
Moncada is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
ANALYSIS
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Not starting Sunday
3BChicago White Sox
September 24, 2023
Moncada is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
ANALYSIS
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Homers Tuesday
3BChicago White Sox
September 20, 2023
Moncada went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Nationals.
ANALYSIS
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Out of lineup
3BChicago White Sox
September 17, 2023
Moncada is out of the lineup Sunday versus the Twins.
ANALYSIS
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Will return Monday
3BChicago White Sox
September 11, 2023
Moncada (knee) is in the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
ANALYSIS
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