In Yoan Moncada’s last 30 games, he is slashing .324/.366/.552 with 17 RBIs and six home runs. If he was able to keep up that pace for a full season Moncada would be looking at a home run total north of 30 and knocking on the door of 100 RBIs.
White Sox fans have been craving a season like that from Moncada who has been teasing them ever since he batted .300 and hit 25 home runs in 2019. For whatever reason, whether it be COVID, injuries, or a lack of work ethic, Moncada has struggled to replicate the success he found offensively in 2019.
However, since the beginning of August Moncada has quietly been one of the White Sox best hitters. On Thursday he connected for his tenth home run of the season off Diamondbacks reliever Kyle Nelson. Seven of his last ten home runs and 23 of his 39 RBIs on the year have come within the last 40 games. This is right around the same time that Moncada returned from the IL with a healthy back. Coincidence? I think not.
“There was a moment in the season when I thought my season was done,” Moncada said after Thursday's 3-1 victory through interpreter Billy Russo.”But I never gave up, kept working, did the exercises from the trainers that they gave me. Thanks to that I was able to come back.”
Moncada’s lingering back issues began in April. On April 9th he was pulled from the lineup against the Pirates and did not return until May 12th. Before the back injury popped up Moncada was a World Baseball Classic standout for Team Cuba. The 28-year-old switch hitter was named an all-tournament selection. He followed that up by opening the MLB season 12-for-30 at the plate. As back pain began to rear its ugly head those numbers took a nose dive.
“I really believe the injury affected him,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “It didn't affect him while he was trying to come back and play. The first time around, he was still hurting to the point where I had to protect him against left-handed pitching and then little by little that thing just started going away.”
Moncada carried a .857 OPS in April before landing on the IL. After returning from his first IL stint he struggled to keep his batting average above .200 and his power deteriorated. Across May, June, and July he hit just one home run all while his walk rate is down and his strikeout rate is up.
After another back flare-up, Moncada went back to the IL on June 14th and did not return to action until July 24th. Since returning from his second stint on the IL, Moncada is beginning to start pulling the ball more. According to StatCast Moncada now has a 43.2 pull percentage. That’s the highest mark of his career. Pulling the ball is one thing, pulling the ball for power is another.
When he was struggling with the back flare-ups, he was making a noticeable attempt to hit everything to the opposite field because that meant less rotation and strain on his back.
It is why Pedro Grifol felt the need to protect him against left-handed pitching.
“If I’m healthy I’ll be able to do more than I’ve shown,” Moncada said. “Injuries have been something I’ve had to deal with throughout my career but hopefully all of that is in the past. If I stay healthy I can do what I know I can do.”
Moncada is owed $24 million next season and with Jake Burger getting traded to Miami, he will have no competition at third base. The White Sox are banking on the fact that this healthy version of Moncada that they are seeing over the final two months of the season is the Moncada they are paying for.
“We are really going to push his whole game and I think he’s capable of doing special things,” Grifol told reporters. “It’s just a matter of him being healthy and us pushing the right buttons and making sure he gets the days off when he needs them. And just pushing the right buttons to keep him on his game the whole year.”
That all sounds great in theory but as we have seen this season the “let’s hope everyone stays healthy and has a bounce-back season” strategy doesn’t always pan out.
Moncada is going to have to put the work in this offseason if he wants to hold up over a 162-game season and produce consistent results. Even with his recent hot stretch, Moncada is only hitting .258 with a .716 OPS on the season. His disappointing season is one of the many reasons the White Sox head into a weekend series against the Padres needing to win two of three to avoid losing 100 games.
“We need to just stay healthy,” Moncada said. “And play the game the way we can play, to our best capabilities. If we do that, things are going to go our way.”
