Chicago White Sox: Five bold predictions for 2019 season

No. 3: Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada combine for over 50 home runs

Disclaimer: Yoan Moncada has been playing third base all spring, and is expected to stay there throughout the season. Excuse the misinformation.

Anyways, the 2018 White Sox middle infield pair of Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada certainly had their growing pains. Between too many strikeouts, bad errors, and all-around underwhelming play, Moncada and Anderson didn’t exactly explode last season.

However, this season is a clean slate. Moncada and Anderson still have loads of potential and are both due for big seasons.

Additionally, both have been raking this spring. Moncada is hitting a clean .462, while Anderson is right at .500. Anderson has been driving the ball more, while Moncada has been taking more walks. The adjustments are obvious, and they’ve already materialized on the field.

Obviously, the regular season is a different story. But I really, really like what I’ve seen this spring from Yoan and TA. Both players showed serious flashes of stardom in 2018, and given the improvements, I think we’ll see that come to fruition in 2019.

Fifty home runs is just a marker. Anderson hit 20 last season, while Moncada hit 17. I think this time around, Anderson hits around 26-28, while Moncada goes over 25.

In addition to the power, their defense should be much improved as well. Moncada hasn’t missed a beat at third base this spring. Anderson was worlds better defensively in the second half of last season opposed to the first half. Given the new look infield, I think both players will thrive on both sides of the ball.

Seeing progression from Anderson and Moncada will be a major step in the right direction for the rebuild. As two core players that struggled mightily at times last season, Moncada and Anderson need to improve. I’ve got a really good feeling about this one.