Recently Chris Bahr of Fox Sports asked one big question every MLB team must address during Spring Training. The White Sox question:

Will Yoan Moncada impress enough to start the season in the majors, especially if Brett Lawrie is dealt before Opening Day?

For starters, it would be an absolute shock if Brett Lawrie were to be traded at all, let alone before Opening Day.

Lawrie has been in the MLB for the past six seasons playing for the Blue Jays and Athletics before the White Sox. He has hit .261 with 71 home runs, 253 RBIs and 41 stolen bases in 588 career games. The White Sox second baseman is coming off of a season in which he hit .248 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs appearing in just 94 games.

Lawrie has dealt with injuries over his career. When healthy, he has never truly reached his full potential. While he has the positional versatility to be used as a utility man, he is an impending free agent. No franchise is going to give up something valuable for one year of Brett Lawrie.

Rick Hahn has tried to get the best value available out of all of his trade pieces this offseason. Obviously Lawrie is not Jose Quintana, but there’s no point in moving him for organizational fodder.

It’s unlikely Lawrie returns to the White Sox in 2018, but it’d be a shock if he didn’t play the entire 2017 season on the South Side.

Injury Replacement

Now let’s say Lawrie were to get hurt in Spring Training. With second base now open, would Moncada be the rightful heir to the throne?

Realistically, no. The starting spot would go to Tyler Saladino.

Saladino has been in the MLB for the past two seasons, appearing in 161 games. He has hit .257 with 12 home runs, 58 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. He is coming off a season in which he hit ,282 with eight home runs, 38 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 94 games.

Saladino was one of the White Sox lone bright spots during the 2016 season. Having him start at second base in the case of a Lawrie injury would fill two main purposes.

1. It gives the White Sox brass an opportunity to see if Saladino will be a part of the franchise for years to come. If he succeeds he could serve as the veteran utility man when the Sox are ready for their playoff push. The Cubs won the World Series by having elite prospects finally hitting their peak. But they wouldn’t of won without guys like David Ross or Miguel Montero. The 2017 season will allow for Saladino to prove he could be a “glue guy” when the time comes.

2. Like Lawrie, Saladino would serve as the bridge to Moncada. If the White Sox top prospect isn’t ready to start the 2017 at the MLB level, Saladino could fill that role until Moncada’s eventual call-up.

But if Moncada isn’t going to start the season in the MLB, when will he finally reach the big leagues?

A King’s Arrival

In short, Yoan Moncada will likely be called up following May 14th. By keeping him in the minor leagues until then, the White Sox ensure that they will have 6+ years of control.

As for Spring Training, Moncada will be one of the most watched players. He is expected to lead the White Sox rebuild revolution. How he fairs in his first Spring Training with the White Sox will go far in telling just how good he is.

However after watching his highlight tape, he looks like he will be the real deal for the South Siders.

He is a five tool prospect who should be the team’s second baseman of the future and a stalwart in the middle of the Sox lineup. He has a legitimate chance to be a 30/30 hitter once he reaches the MLB.

To answer Bahr’s question though, it shouldn’t matter how well Moncada performs in Spring Training. There is no reason to have him begin the season in the MLB.

Moncada may very well be MLB ready. He was able to reach the big leagues last season, and while he struggled, it showed just how much confidence the Red Sox had in him. With Moncada moving back to his more natural position of second base, he should see his hitting woes go away and an overall improvement in his game.

But keeping him in the minor leagues not only gives him time to play with his new teammates, but it allows him to focus on second base. He will not have to worry about switching position, he could focus on that singular position and do his best to improve.

It also gives him more experience playing against top-flight pitching. Moncada came up to the MLB straight from AA. He was never given a proper amount of time to develop and was rushed to the MLB. The White Sox have nothing to play for in 2016 and could actually let him develop in AAA.

There’s a very good chance that Moncada impresses in Spring Training. He is considered one of the best prospects in baseball and was the headliner of the Chris Sale trade.

But no matter how well he does there is no point in having him start the 2017 season at the MLB. He needs more time to develop, and keeping him in the minors allows the Whie Sox to control his rights longer.

There’s a very good chance Yoan Moncada is called up following May 14th. But no matter how well he does in Spring Training, there’s no reason for the White Sox top prospect to begin the 2017 season at the MLB level.

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to continue the conversation on Twitter: @DFappiano14