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GLENDALE, Arizona – This potential position change for Yoan Moncada does not have such potential at the moment. It happens.
The guy who started 148 games in second in his first full season in the big leagues is training for third base as the full team has gathered here at Camelback Ranch. Rick Hahn and Rick Renteria mentioned this possibility throughout the off season.
But the skipper took things to another level on Monday, saying it should not be a surprise if Moncada is the White Sox's half-low white at the opening match opener.
"I think we'll be working there as much as possible in the spring, and do not be surprised if you see it on the first day of opening," Renteria said. "The reality is that the more flexibility we have with him, the more he knows what he can do – he sees himself and has been an excellent third base player, before we have (acquired) him, in the amateur ranks.
"This is one of the things we want to be able to see and stay open to all possibilities and see if he can do it. There is no better time than spring training. He works a little this winter. As we see him continue to work, we will be able to determine where he is and how well he will be able to do it. We will continue to work on it. "
Now, of course, the immediate reaction is what it has to do with the guy who is not here, Manny Machado.
The White Sox are still looking for the 26-year-old free agent superstar, who has not yet made the decision as to where he will sign while the main league camps are in full swing in both Arizona and Florida. Machado plays on the left side of the infield – a Gold Glover double in third place going to an immediate stop, his original post last season – and many fans are shooting the conclusion that imposes on the social media that the White Sox slip on Moncada in the third place and preparing him to be the head coach in the warmest turn one of the two following things occurs : 1. The pursuit of Machado is dead, or 2. Machado insists after all to play the shortstop and it is Tim Anderson who will be moved.
This is why none of these things are the case.
The pass from Moncada to third base has little, if anything, to do with Machado and much more with Nick Madrigal, the first round pick of last year which is what the White Sox call a Gold Glove defender in the center, especially at the second base, where he played since joining the organization. Madrigal, whom the White Sox described as the best full-fledged university baseball player when they drafted him, could quickly evolve into the system, and when he arrives at the major league level, they want to have a place. for him.
But they also want to have a place for Moncada, as they still think a lot about his cap and what he will be able to do as a batter someday, despite the 217 strikeouts and less-than-ideal numbers. published during his match. first full season in the big leagues in 2018. And so, without a long-term obvious answer to the third goal within the organization, sending Moncada as soon as possible could make it more comfortable once Madrigal would have arrived and once past the mode of reconstruction in contention mode comes. And all of this could happen in the next season or in the next two years.
Renteria went so far as to say that moving to third place could help Moncada improve his defense and attack. He made 21 errors in second base last season, one of the highest totals in baseball. For what it's worth, in 31 games at third base as a member of the Boston Red Sox organization (including the Arizona Fall League), Moncada made eight mistakes.
But the manager thinks that a move to third place could help him focus on the field and on the pitch.
"I think playing in third position could allow him to break free, simply because he'll have to be more focused," he said. "At second base you can be a little quieter, I think it's possible, and nothing guarantees, that playing in third base rounds up a bit more his concentration on both sides of the ball. Is a wait or a hope that we could have.
"I think his distance factor is huge, his arm is good." Understanding the nuances of the game in third place, relearning it again, will be a determining factor in its effectiveness, but I think that just allow it, and then allowing us to use (Yolmer Sanchez) a little more in second base gives us a field a little more complete. "
But above all, Machado is just not there. It could be eventually, but it is not now. And yet, Renteria and the White Sox have yet to prepare for the upcoming season. If Machado does not come, Moncada will probably be the third base player on the team, and this is in preparation. If Machado arrives, it is not a difficult solution: Moncada slides to the second base and Sanchez probably plays a bench.
Renteria had stated before SoxFest that Machado had told the White Sox that he would play anywhere they would ask him if it was there that he ended up signing. This was an important piece of information considering Machado's supposed preference for the short stop. Thus, Tim Anderson will probably remain the daily stop, whether Machado signs or not. Moncada is the moving piece, and his return to second base would be easy if Machado came south.
But Renteria builds his range every day with the players he has right now. It is an emergency plan in case Machado goes elsewhere, not a sudden change of strategy as the White Sox have lost hope.
"I think I said I could not worry about who was not here, I focused on the guys here," Renteria said. "I have to go that way, and just like any other team, anything can happen, you make adjustments as these changes happen." At the moment, the guys in this locker room are the ones on which I am most focused, and we try to understand the pace and composition of our alignments with the guys we have. "
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