The Kids Can Play

If you want to go totally FanGraphs with metrics, Burger is still better than Moncada during 2022. PA Pos BIP BA xBA Diff SLG xSLG Diff wOBA xwOBA Diff Burger 183 3B 114 .250 .225 0.025 .458 .460 -0.002 .326 .318 0.008 Moncada 264 3B 169 .194 .207 -0.013 .318 .347 -0.029 .255 .275 -0.020 ISO BABIP wOBA wRC+ BsR WAR Off (Off Runs Above Average) Def (Def Runs Above Average) Burger .208 .324 .326 114 -1.0 0.3 1.9 - 4.6 Moncada .124 .252 .255 63 0.9 0.2 -10.0 3.7 Basic baseball fundamental stats that teams still measure a player on: Games G AB HR BA OBP SLG OPS Burger 51 183 8 .250 .302 .458 .761 Moncada 66 264 6 .194 .258 .318 .576 You can debate this with me forever and we can waste a lot of unnecessary time for each of us, but Moncada is not better than Burger this year. Btw, the window to win is now in 2022 and we can't go by the past years and numbers.

Oh I don't know, maybe the posters in here who are justify Moncada as this great player who will turn it around. Go ask them!

I agree he isn't that guy. He probably never will be. However we should not remove those #1 prospect expectations from him or that 2019 year expectations. He is one of many reasons this rebuild has failed miserably. I understand he isn't the only one, but he is one of many bad trades and signings. We traded away one of the best pitchers in baseball at the time, long before Sale had all those injuries and as a result, Moncada has been a bust. Btw, if 2021 is the real version of Moncada as you suggest, that is sad. He had a 263 BA, 14 HR's and .412 SLG%. Unless he miraculously turns it around the reminder of the season, he should be traded in the off season. Finally, I disagree with you that assessment of Moncada was unfair. As you said, we are sick of excuses, but you and some others here are still making excuses for him.

The sad thing is the owner let Bill Beane have total control and squeeze Art Howe. Our POS owner protects the loser TLR and Hahn could never get away with man handling TLR. Then again there are 29 other owners in MLB where this shit would never happen.

Agreed! We have poor plate discipline, we rarely get walks, we swing at way too many pitches outside the zone and we are a dumb team in running the bases. Additionally we are pathetic in fielding, our bullpen is so inconsistent and easily implodes during a close game and Giolito and Lynn are having horrible years. Oh yeah the manager is a drunkin' demented and POS loser!

It shouldn't shock anyone. He has always had this cavalier attitude that this game isn't that important. As a result, if he isn't invested emotionally and doesn't care, then of course he would laugh after a despicable loss. When you get beat badly by one of the worst teams in baseball, there should never be one single smile or laugh on any team in any sport.

Ok let's go down your way in which you are desperately trying to justify Moncada as a good hitter with power and he will turn it around. Let's throw out his top year (2019) as you suggested and let's also throw out his worst year (2022) and see where the other 4 years average out. This will include 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021. This way we will be going with your idea of throwing out the high and low, as you determined are the aberrations and taking the other similar 4 years as his real average. Those 4 years, '17, '18, '20 '21 BA .243 HR's 45 SLG % .403 If you call that productive numbers for third base for a former #1 prospect in MLB and the key part of the Chris Sale trade, then I guess you are fine with mediocrity for your Sox team.

No I didn't. What I showed you was Moncada's only great season was 2019. The other three seasons were similar but not even close to 2019. This year is by far his worst, but not an indication it's an aberration, as its just another declining year. However 2019 will never happen again...hence the aberration.

Thank god Sosa is starting and Leury is not!

Well said and I totally agree! He should not be entitled to being the regular starter unless he turns it around! If he does turn it around, then great. I don't think anyone on this board doesn't wish Moncada was hitting like he was in 2019. However the fact is, he isn't! The harsh facts of baseball are, it isn't what you did in the past...it's what are you doing for us now!

With what you are saying since he has this streak of 4 quality starts in a row, you are confirming my point. The Sox batters even more so now, will once again as they have all year, make a mediocre pitcher look like Cy Young! What makes this even more disgusting, is we are 7-6 against KC this year. the Royals are a team that is 21 games under 500 and 6 games under 500 at home.

We agree 100 percent on that that because it is a team wide problem with plate discipline. However as long as Menechino and LaRussa are here, it will never change. It's been 3 seasons since his 2019 year and he hasn't adjusted or improved.

100 percent correct! Not only based on being overpaid for his current production, but the expectations of being a former #1 prospect in MLB and the key part of the Chris Sale rebuild trade.

You sure you have been watching Moncada's at bats closely this year? He is lost at the plate, strikes out constantly swinging at pitches a foot outside the zone, has zero power and hitting under 200. He also has made his share of errors at third and isn't Brooks Robinson at 3rd.

There are not the same OPS numbers. Burger is far better. Burger hasn't played enough 3rd base to call him a defensive liability. Give him the numbers of games Moncada got and I'm sure he will improve.

This year is closer to his 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022 than his 2019. Yes I think he is a bust and will never be like 2019.

I agree with you Moncada is not our only problem. We have several players playing poorly as you pointed out. I was only addressing the folks here trying to justify Moncada having power and he'll get it back. It is not fair to link Vaughn into the DH/1B playing weak and out of position. It's not his fault he rarely gets to play first base. If the Sox were going to put the 2019 3rd overall pick and one of the best hitters to come out of college, in a brand new position like left or right, then maybe they shouldn't have drafted him.

I don't care about Charlotte. We only need to worry about the White Sox major league level where Burger has had a .761 OPS this season vs Moncada's .580 OPS. As far as Burger's defense goes, if TLR ever gave him enough games at 3rd, in time he would improve there as well. Abreu wasn't a good fielder in his first few seasons until he got enough games at first to improve. The bottom line though, there is no doubt until Burger did ramp up on his defense, he would bring a far better BA and way more power to this club that Moncada. Finally where do you get off asking Burger to get to 900ish in OPS? There are only 8 players in all of MLB across 30 teams with a 900 OPS or more this year. The facts are the one good year Moncada had in 2019 was an aberration when he had a .915 OPS. The others years his OPS numbers are: 2018 - 714, 2020 - .765, 2021 - .787 and 2022 - .580. Back to your silly question, when can we expect 900ish from Moncada again? Don't bother answering, it's a rhetorical question!

Whether he has the power or not is not the point. The fact is he can't seem to find it. Whether it's from our inept hitting coach and manager, or his lack of making adjustments, he lost his power. At what point do the Sox quit trying to put a square peg in a round hole? We can't keep living on the hope, "well he did it in 2019". Since his great year in 2019 his last three seasons including 2022 are: 261 Games 959 At Bats 26 HR's .239 BA I'm sorry but I am sure we could find more power at third base whether it's from our minors, free agency or playing Jake Burger. Plus, if he is as good as everyone thinks he is, then great, let's trade him in the off season and let some other club be the miracle worker to change him. I will however wholeheartedly agree with you that he is without a doubt, the most frustrating Sox player to watch based on his talent and potential.

His power? Big deal he got lucky and hit a home run last night. He only has 6 HR's for the year. His last home run was July 17th. Oh great, we get to wait another 18 games for his power? In the meantime he has slash numbers of .197/.258/.322/.580. There should be some power at third base! I know his flaws are numerous with poor plate discipline, swings at too many pitches outside the zone and let's looks at too many called strikes in the center of the plate. but it is what it is. He is screwed up for numerous reasons and he is hurting the team. Most importantly per the expectations we traded for him and based on only one good year in 2019, he is a bust. When Burger comes back I would much rather see play third and get a lot of playing experience there.

Oh great, Bubic tonight with a 5.27 ERA. Another game for our Sox to possibly make a pitcher this year look like a stud and probably have his best performance of the year. 2022 stats for Bubic: ERA - 5.27, WHIP - 1.54, K/BB - 1.68, BB/9 - 4.48, BA against - .270, BABIP - .304, OBP - .350, SLG - .441, OPS - .791 If they can't beat this slug tonight, then it's safe to conclude this team isn't capable of being a winner, Regardless of whether the reason is because of a horrible manager, an inept hitting coach, injuries, or a team that is just basically overrated and mentally not tough enough!

I could see Anderson being traded. Let's just hope Hahn is gone because he would undoubtedly screw it up. Moncada for now might play better defense at third over second, however if he would lose some weight and get into better shape, he could play second. In his first minor league season with Boston at A ball, he was much lighter and he had 49 of 52 stolen bases. He played a good second base back then. Fast forward to today and he is now slow, lazy and cannot hit! He surely isn't getting any better until he can get into better shape and not have constant injuries, as well as he needs a good hitting coach, which this team does not currently have; to straighten him out.

True and sadly it should have been the Sale trade bringing back more than Eaton!

He is not better than Sheets, not that Sheets is any good. However Sheets is left handed and Franmil is right handed and strictly a DH! We do not need a right handed DH! Plus Sheets' numbers are slightly better too: Franmil in 2022: 262 AB's, 9 HR's, 104 K's, .213/.254/.350/.603 and right handed DH, which we don't need. Sheets in 2022: 238 AB's, 9 HR's, 52K's, .227/.286/.387/.672 and left handed.

Agreed! It had nothing to do with Tony! He still sucks and still needs to be FIRED!