South Side Sox 2021 Player of the Week (ending August 28): Yoán Moncada

YoYo waits in the wings before his long-anticipated debut in our weekly honors.

By Mitch Ransdell Aug 30, 2021, 12:33pm CDT

International Pop Superstar Yoán Moncada hasn’t taken center stage very often this season.

One notable exception was last Saturday’s 7-0 loss to the Cubs, when the Sox tripped on their shoelaces and went facedown in the dirt. But it wasn’t enough to suppress Moncada’s hitting streak, which now stretches to a season-high 14 games after his 2-for-4 appearance at the plate on Sunday.

YoYo has demonstrated some amazing talent in his Chicago stint. His 2019 run was excellent, and last year’s stats were obviously stunted, but hopes were high that we’d see flashes of brilliance again. And that’s not just talking about Yoan’s award-winning smile.

The development that stands out is Moncada’s batting eye, which earned 40 walks in his 2019 season. By the end of August 2021, he’s already walked 70 times. Moncada has become a more passive player, less about the long ball and more about run production.

Does the limelight suit Yoán Moncada? Absolutely. But a role backstage is just as important.

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2021 MVP Top 10

Carlos Rodón (93.2)
Lance Lynn (76.7)
Lucas Giolito (39.6)
Andrew Vaughn (33.5)
Yasmani Grandal (29.1)
Dylan Cease (28.2)
Reynaldo López (26.6)
Tim Anderson (25.0)
Luis Robert (19.8)
Eloy Jiménez (18.2)

2021 Cold Cat Bottom 10

Leury García (-45.6)
Evan Marshall (-43.1)
Liam Hendriks (-32.0)
César Hernández (-29.1)
Aaron Bummer (-28.9)
Garrett Crochet (-27.4)
Yoán Moncada (-26.4)
Matt Foster (-22.4)
José Abreu (-20.6)
Yermín Mercedes (-18.9)