GLENDALE, Ariz. — It could have been a short stay for Team Cuba in the World Baseball Classic after dropping the first two games in pool play.
“It’s fair to say we had doubts after the start of the tournament at 0-2,” Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada said Thursday through an interpreter. “But we kept working and grinding and we were able to advance and go into the semifinals.
“We kept working. We never put our heads down.”
Cuba strung together three straight victories, with Moncada’s hot hitting leading the way, to reach the semifinals before losing to Team USA. Moncada was back at Camelback Ranch on Thursday.
“It was a great experience,” he said of the WBC. “It was one of my goals, and I will never forget that.”
Moncada excelled in the event, earning All-Tournament Team honors.
“I’m happy for that recognition, especially in a tournament like that with all the superstars,” Moncada said.
He slashed .435/.519/.739 with four doubles, one home run and five RBIs in six games.
“I definitely knew he could do this because I’ve been in this division for the last 10 years (coaching with the Kansas City Royals), and in ‘19, he was a really tough guy to game plan against from both sides of the plate,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Wednesday. “He would take a walk with the best of them. He’d show some power when it was given to him or mistakes were made on him. He was a really hard guy to pitch to, just because the chases weren’t available for anybody who is game planning. He’s not chasing.
“He could run, play defense. He made some incredible plays. I’ve seen him do all this stuff. So it’s my job to keep him motivated and keep him playing baseball the way it needs to be played.
“He’s well aware of the player he has been and can be. He’s locked in, man. I’m not saying he’s going to go out there 162 games and be perfect. Nobody is. We are all going to have our lapses. But our conversations have been really good.
“He understands who he has been, who he needs to be. He understands the urgency.”
Moncada compared the tournament’s environment to his postseason experiences.
“In those moments, the feeling of representing your country, those four letters you have on your chest, it means a lot,” Moncada said. “Those letters meant a lot. Just emotions of you are playing there and every game counts. Every moment counts. Just excitement. You know that it’s important because it’s your country.
“In those moments, when I showed my emotions, it’s because I couldn’t control it. It’s just the moment was so big and the stage was so big that it was just like a playoff-game atmosphere. You just let your emotions go.”
His favorite memory came in the quarterfinal victory against Australia.
“The last out of the quarterfinals was a special moment because it was when we were able to advance to the semifinals,” Moncada said.
Moncada exited the semifinal loss in the sixth inning with a bruised rib after colliding with a teammate while going after a fly ball in shallow left field.
“I feel good,” he said. “It wasn’t anything serious. It was just a bruise from the hit. I felt good right away.”
Moncada is scheduled to be in the lineup for Friday’s Cactus League game against the Oakland Athletics.
“Now, you put all your focus on the season and the things you need to do every day in order to stay healthy and perform every day and have a successful season,” Moncada said.
He’ll carry with him lessons from the World Baseball Classic.
“I learned that no matter what, you have to keep your head up,” Moncada said. “There will be games where you are going to feel overwhelmed or things aren’t going well. But you have to keep your head up.”
Vaughn is slated to play in a minor-league game Friday as the first baseman makes his way back from lower back soreness, Grifol said.
“He’ll take as many bats as he wants,” Grifol said. “And he’s on pace. He’s on track.”
Vaughn last appeared in a Cactus League game March 12
