Yoan Moncada

Position: 3B
Born: 5/27/1995
Height: 6'2
Weight: 205
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent (Cuba) on March 11, 2015 (BOS).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .294 with 15 homers, 62 RBIs and 45 steals in 106 games between Salem (High A) and Portland (Double-A), adding 31 doubles for a .407 OBP and .511 SLG.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Contract purchased from Portland on September 2.
MLB Debut Date: 9/2/2016

Debut Details
September 2, in a 16-2 win against the Oakland Athletics. Came into the game at third base in the bottom of the seventh, as Travis Shaw moved from third to first base replacing Hanley Ramirez, and Moncada replaced Ramirez in the lineup in the five-hole. He went 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored. In his debut on defense, he made the third out of the inning, cleanly fielding a grounder for the 5-3 putout. In the eighth, in his first at-bat against reliever J.B. Wendelken, he drew a one-out walk and came around to score on a single by Shaw. In the ninth, he struck out swinging with one out.

Player Notes
Just 21 years old, the Cuban-born Moncada is one of the youngest players in the majors and, in fact, had not played above Class A until this season. After spending two seasons with Cienfuegos in Cuba in 2012 and 2013, he defected to the U.S. and sat out 2014 before the Red Sox won a huge bidding war for his services – they gave him a $31.5 signing bonus, plus paying an equal penalty for violating the bonus pool allotments. That’s how much they wanted him, and looking at his tools one can’t blame them. Rated by Baseball America the best athlete and fastest base runner in the organization, as well as the infielder with the strongest arm, it’s no surprise he’s ranked as their top Red Sox prospect. In 81 games at Greenville (Class A) in his stateside debut in 2015, he hit .278 with eight homers, 38 RBIs and 49 steals. A tremendous athlete across the board, he’s also a legit switch-hitter.

2080 Notes
Moncada checked in pre-season at No. 7 on 2080’s Top 125 Preseason Prospect Rankings List, where we had this to say about him: “Exploding onto the scene last season, Moncada is a rare five-tool second baseman with high upside at the plate in terms of hit and power, paired with 70-grade speed. Improvements in his plan at the plate and his defense should continue, which could plant him as the highest middle-infield prospect on our list by year’s end.” You can also check out this video of Moncada taken earlier this season by Mark Shreve when he visited the Trenton Thunder. Also check out our Prospect Spotlight on Moncada from the beginning of the season, which you can read here.