Why isn’t anyone talking about Yoan Moncada?! Have we forgotten how sought after he was just a mere 4 years ago? He finally played a full* MLB season, and might just be getting started. Is he poised to be one of the biggest bargains in 2019? Our Video Draft Guide gives you the answers.
The Baseball Show – Yoan Moncada
January 2, 2019 | The Baseball Show | 23 Commentsby: Andy Singleton
Chris Davis was a .317 lifetime hitter in the minors. Just saying.
@Mike: Chris Davis hit 197 big league Home Runs over a five year stretch. Just saying.
I love Ralph’s look when dude says he’s willing to give a reacharound to get Moncada in this year’s draft. LMAO
5:32
Ralph, your eyes after that statement show that you heard the same thing I did.
“He’s somebody I’d reach around for.”
@SwaggerJackers: I talk too fast for you to hear the hard space between “a” and “round”, but yea, I’m going all out for Yoan this year… so I’ll reach around for him too
@Andy Singleton: I’m just giving you a hard time.
See what I just did there?
But on a more serious note, this video content is solid so far. Keep up the good work.
@SwaggerJackers: Oh, I’m aware. And I appreciate it. But you have to get on a line of over 50 from the firehouse thats doing the same lol. Appreciate the patronage, and hope to keep impressing you. Where were you the first two years we did this?!!
I like the guys you picked to cover the last two days. Like this format too. Nice work. Two things here. I’m with the comments above on .260 skepticism. The numbers show he’s very competitive against fastballs and poor against offspeed, especially sliders. In the ABs I’ve seen from him I don’t feel like the pitch recognition is there yet. I’ll need to see that before I’d draft. Also would like to see his steal success percentage above 66%. Only 18 attempts last year may indicate he’s viewed as a yellow light guy on the bases.
@OaktownSteve: My main objective, since we’re only doing 40 individual players this year, was to find the right guys. So glad to see so far we’re on the right path. And thanks for the kind words! How much does his hamstring issues of 2018 influence you? Because the speed was elite in every year prior. Also, how much emphasis (or as Grey may say, hutzpah) do you place on improvements? Because he’s been .280 or better at every level, finished off 2018 with a .309 finale over 25 games, and this all has been with that inflated swing and miss of 30%. My point being, all of the pieces to the puzzle are in the box.
@Andy Singleton: exactly 66% across two levels in 2017. Body thickening up. May not have quite the explosion. Could be the hammy tho. Also the jump to mlb level breaking stuff is so brutal. Flaws get exploited. For me I’d want to see improvements in pitch recognition. The good couple months to end last year could be statistical noise as easily as improvement. That said, I haven’t seen a ton of him. Maybe 15 ABs. And there is pedigree. For my format, NFBC 15s, he’s still generally around 10th round. One of those guys for me where if you get him and he breaks out, I doff my cap.
@OaktownSteve: I hope you’re ready to doff! 2017 was the first real taste, and basically in a wasteland environment (although the future is sky high for the White Sox). I’ll give him a pass on not mastering 5-tools in his first taste. And then last year the hammy. I’m already in doff mode.
@Andy Singleton: I also agree that the players being featured are hot topic guys worth a deeper dive. Other hitters I’m hoping will be covered:
Ohtani, Story, B-Nintendo, Scooter, Peraza, Bellinger, Chapman, Polanco, Puig, (either) Rosario, Torres
@SwaggerJackers:
Second all those and would add Tommy Pham in part because he was one of the prime topics last off-season
@SwaggerJackers: Some of those are on for sure. But we’re only committed to ~20 right now, so theres a chance for all.
@Andy Singleton: Andy,
Good work on both these first two pieces. I’ve enjoyed both videos and look forward to more in the future.
I agree with you on Moncada. I think the jury is still out. This is a fantastic buy-low opportunity in drafts. I’m not positive a breakout is on the way this season. But I would not want to miss out on it either. If he’s there 12th round or beyond, I’m a buyer. If he flops, the risk was worth the potential reward and a disappointing 12th round pick shouldn’t make or break anyone’s team. If he breaks out, I’m the genius of the draft.
Lastly, would really appreciate if you guys could do a video on what to expect (good or bad) from Luis Castillo and Mitch Haniger. I know you can’t do everybody, so no problem if they don’t make the cut. Just hoping for a little more insight on them.
@Harley Earl: Appreciated! We have Castillo on the docket (I think), and can look into Haniger as well for sure.
Upside/physical tools are there, but plate discipline and contact skills are not easy fixes. While i think he’s due for more HR pop in his career, i really don’t see the contact skills improving much nor the average surpassing the .250’s. His swing and miss can be crippling. If my 2B is striking out 200+ times a year he better be giving me close to 30 bombs and an OBP north of .340. That being said, i’d rather take a shot on Moncada at his current ADP over Mondesi.
@Odell Titsworth: But thats just it… I don’t think his plate discipline is as egregious as we are making it out to be. There will always be a lot of swing and miss in his game, but he has found ways to figure it out. Over his final 25 games last year he was a .309 hitter WITH a 30% K rate. Is that sustainable? No! But .260 isn’t asking for a batting title.
seems to have been driven by an inflated babip and over smaller samples against inferior competition. idk, i have a hard time believing a guy who Ks that much will hit above .250 until he does it. Good news is he’s still wicked young and a physical specimen.
In any case, thanks for these vids and discussions. Good stuff.
@Evan Pasha: You can’t hide being a New Englander throwing wicked around! Lol. Thanks for the compliment. I still consider him a speed guy, so the BABIP isn’t inflated to me, and could actually stand to improve with a healthy hammy. Also, his K rate has always been abysmal, so that to me is built in to the batting averages he’s sustained.
@Pasha: He’s been a .280+ hitter at every stop in the minors, enters the league in the .230’s, and finished the last month as a .300 hitter. I don’t know that .260 sounds overly optimistic :/
i get the upside, but how do you get to a .260 floor?
@Pasha: He’s been a .280+ hitter at every stop in the minors, enters the league in the .230’s, and finished the last month as a .300 hitter. I don’t know that .260 sounds overly optimistic :/