There are three hitters on the White Sox's 25-man roster that give me a hopeless feeling, meaning when they step in the box I figure it would take a miracle from God for them to get a base hit.
Those three hitters are Adam Engel, Matt Davidson and ... Yoan Moncada.
That's right, I said it: I've lost confidence in the former No. 1 prospect in baseball, the golden boy who had everybody buying his jersey before he had accomplished anything at the major league level.
Moncada had another stinker of a game Tuesday night, 0 for 5 with four strikeouts in a 4-3, 13-inning loss to the New York Yankees. The second baseman is now in a 1-for-25 slump over his past six games that includes 16 strikeouts. In the past week, Moncada has had two games where he has struck out three times, and two other games where he has struck out four times.
The slump isn't new, either. Moncada has been brutal in the 18 games since the All-Star break. During that span, he has posted a .114/.250/.214 batting line with 31 strikeouts in 84 plate appearances.
His season slash line stands at .217/.300/.391. His batting average is now lower than both Engel and Davidson, both of whom are hitting .220 entering Wednesday's play.
Hey, at least Engel makes great catches in center field, and Davidson entertains us by moonlighting as a pitcher. What's Moncada doing other than stinking up Guaranteed Rate Field?
If his name were something other than "Yoan Moncada," fans would be calling for him to be sent to the minor leagues. I'll admit it: I'm getting really close to that point. I'm trying to be patient, but when someone is completely overmatched by major league pitching for an extended period of time, you'd be a fool not to reconsider your opinion on what's best for a young player.
There's only about a month left in the minor league season, so if the Sox were going to send Moncada down, they would have to do it soon. I'm going to stop short of calling for the team to demote Moncada immediately, but if the high strikeout totals and the poor quality of at-bats continues for the rest of this homestand, it will be time for action to be taken.
I'm sure my opinion is the minority one. I'm basically alienated from the rest of the Sox fan base at this point, because I don't think the organization is on the right path. I don't think Rick Hahn and Rick Renteria are doing a good job, and I don't think Moncada, Tim Anderson and Lucas Giolito are getting better.
We've reached a point now where Sox fans are willing to forgive all sins and all mismanagement and all poor play because it's "rebuilding." Enough of this baloney. Let's start speaking honestly. It's past time for Moncada to start showing progress. It's past time for the organization as a whole to start showing some progress at the major-league level.
Sox brass right now is enjoying responsibility with no accountability, and it's beyond ridiculous. They want fans to pay money to watch this product? Why should they? It's no wonder Yankees fans far outnumber Sox fans at Guaranteed Rate Field during this week's series.
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