Photo: Yuhki Ohboshi
Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada will finally be with Cuba in the upcoming edition of the Premier 12 tournament to be held between November 9 and 24. This Friday, November 1, the Cienfuegos,Cuba native was a regular in the Cuban lineup against Korea in the first of two matches against that team in Seoul.
He hit second and was the third baseman in a game that Cuba lost 2-0 and could only muster three hits. Moncada went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and made a few excellent plays on defense. Moncada was also a member of a Cuban team that finished fourth in the last edition of World Baseball Classic. In the last World Classic he was selected to all-tournament team of the event.
“It was my first game in a month, despite that I felt pretty good and it is a matter of adjusting, things are going to turn out the way we want. Seeing again several of my teammates who were in the Classic makes me proud, and I am also proud to play for the national team again,” Moncada commented to the digital media Jit after the clash against Korea.
His name stood out the most among the 60 shortlists revealed in September was precisely that of the native of Cienfuegos, Cuba. The 29-year-old player became a free agent yesterday after the White Sox decided not to pick up the team option on his contract.
“I have been recovering well from the injury, thank God, I will continue receiving treatment, massages and continue to get better. I feel happy to be here again. In reality we have difficult rivals in the Premier, but we are going to go out and play our gane and try our best to get what we want. I am also very happy to be here again and represent Cuba,” Moncada concluded.
One of his priorities is to play in a winter circuit, but that will not happen until after the Premier 12. Moncada expedited his visa procedures for the Asian country and joined the team more than 10 days in advance for the event. Rumors say he could play in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP) in the near future.
This season the Cuban was injured practically the entire year, he was only able to play 11 games with the White Sox. He returned from the injured list on July 9 to play in the Arizona Complex League (Rookie), where he only played five games before suffering a injury again. He return of the IL and joined the Charlotte Knights (Triple-A) and in nine games he hit .323, with four doubles, one home run and five RBIs.