PORTLAND, Maine — Boston Red Sox infielder and former Portland Sea Dog Yoan Moncada has been selected as the Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America.
The 21-year-old Moncada hit .294/.407/.511 with 15 home runs, 62 RBI, 31 doubles, six triples, 94 runs scored, 45 stolen bases, and 72 walks in 106 minor league games combined between Portland and High-A Salem this season.
Moncada led Red Sox farmhands in stolen bases and ranked fifth in all of minor league baseball.
Moncada had his contract selected by the Red Sox from the Sea Dogs on Sept. 2 and is hitting .211 (4-for-19) with a double, RBI, walk, and three runs scored in eight games with Boston.
Moncada, was assigned to Portland from Boston’s Single-A High club Salem on June 21. In 44 games with the Sea Dogs, he hit .285/.388/.547 with 11 home runs, 27 RBI, six doubles, three triples, 37 runs, nine stolen bases and 27 walks.
Moncada was named the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Futures Game in San Diego after going two-for-five with a home run, two RBI, run scored and a stolen base. He was named a Carolina League mid- and postseason All-Star, hitting .307/.427/.496 with four home runs, 34 RBI, 25 doubles, three triples, 57 runs scored, 36 stolen bases and 45 walks in 61 games with High-A Salem.
Moncada joins Josh Beckett (2001) as the only Sea Dogs players to earn the award from Baseball America.
Moncada was signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent on March 12, 2015, out of Cuba. He was rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Red Sox minor league system entering the season and was rated as the top prospect in all of baseball in their midseason top prospect list.
