The Chicago White Sox continued to add to their ridiculous farm system on Tuesday night, when they received a package that includes highly regarded prospect Blake Rutherford (Baseball America’s No. 36 overall prospect) in a blockbuster trade with the New York Yankees.
White Sox top prospects, updated:
1 Moncada
8 Jimenez
11 Kopech
23 Robert
28 Giolito
30 Rutherford
36 Lopez
59 Fulmer
63 Cease
68 Collins— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) July 19, 2017
The trade also left the White Sox with a couple of MLB roster spots to fill, and one of those spots will be taken by the top prospect in baseball, Yoan Moncada.
Welcome to Chicago, @ymoncada19! pic.twitter.com/n5TnGvMuvm
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 19, 2017
Moncada entered the season ranked as a consensus top-five prospect, and with players such as Andrew Benintendi, Dansby Swanson, and Cody Bellinger “graduating” to the major leagues, Moncada is now viewed as the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball.
The 22-year-old Cuban put together a .285/.381/.452 slash line with 12 homers and 17 stolen bases this year in Triple-A. He should be able to find his way into the lineup everyday with his ability to switch-hit and play second base and third base. He’s viewed as a tremendous all-around talent on offense with the ability to hit for average, hit for power, take walks (13.7 BB% this year), and use his speed on the basepaths.
Chicago acquired Moncada from the Boston Red Sox over the winter in the Chris Sale trade. Moncada got a cup of coffee in the majors with Boston in 2016, appearing in eight games and having 20 plate appearances (.211/.250/.263). He signed a record-setting international bonus of $31.5 million when he signed with the Red Sox out of Cuba in 2015.
Moncada will be in uniform for Chicago’s home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
