Strikeout Rate, Lack Of Experience Still A Factor
While everyone cannot wait to see Moncada in action on the South Side, there are still numerous reasons why he is not.
For one, he is still striking out at a pretty high rate. 26.4% of the time in fact. Not an ideal percentage. In my opinion, Moncada will fit in perfectly in the 2 or 3 hole in the White Sox lineup when it is all said and done. However, those two positions (2 in particular) NEED to be able to consistently put contact on the ball. Even if it is fly balls for productive outs, anything is better than a strike out. If Moncada truly is going to succeed, he needs to cut down on his strike outs, plain and simple. The good thing is that it seems he is starting to do just that. In his last 10 games, he has a 16% K rate. Whether that was just due to his hot week remains to be seen, but it is important to remember that he has just 149 PA over Double-A ball. The more he plays in Triple-A, the better he will get at correcting his weaknesses, and the better player he will become.
People were also concerned about his defense, but so far he has been more than solid, with just 2 E in 28 games, all of which he has started. The biggest reasons why Moncada is still in the minors though, is purely for financial reasons.
