Chicago White Sox: Yoan Moncada vs. Brett Lawrie
This battle isn’t so much about who will start on opening day. That will probably be Lawrie.
Yoan Moncada hoping to crack #Whitesox opening day roster as face of their rebuild, but projected to open in minors pic.twitter.com/v8vj5Cjs5Z
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 18, 2017
The question is, how much heat can Moncada put on him?
A strong spring training from Moncada will be a good sign that his MLB struggles in 2016 were just a bump in the road. Also, with a strong spring, smart money would say that Moncada will be with the White Sox relatively early in the season.
But what happens with a bad spring?
All of a sudden, doubt would start to creep in. The earlier that Moncada can show his struggles last year weren’t a sign of anything to come, the better off he’ll be. With a bad spring training, optimism won’t be easy to come by.
In 2016, Tim Anderson gave us a strong glimpse of what he can do at the Major League level. If Moncada — MLB.com’s No. 2 ranked prospect — can do the same thing in 2017, the the White Sox will be able to look ahead to a decade of a strong middle infield. That’s a great foundation for a rebuilding team to have.
It starts with a strong performance this spring.