South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 97: Travis Moniot
This Swiss Army knife of a 2018 draftee was an offensive threat in his first dip into pro ball
Travis Moniot
6´1´´
190 pounds
Bats: Both
Age: 23
SSS rank among all left fielders in the system: 5
Moniot had a well-traveled collegiate career, to say the least. His freshman year was spent with the Oregon Ducks, but was eventually beaten out by Cadyn Grenier after slashing just .168/.286/.293 in 167 at-bats, with five homers, 18 RBIs, five stolen bases, 24 walks (11.82%) and 53 strikeouts (26.11%). Moniot transferred to Orange Coast JC (Calif.) for his sophomore season, where he boosted his stock considerably by slashing .353/.524/.608 in 153 at-bats, with seven homers, 34 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, 50 walks (23.81%) and 27 strikeouts (12.86%).
Moniot returned to the Pac-12 as a junior, but struggled in a utility role with Arizona: a slash line of .160/.295/.240 in just 50 at-bats. Despite his bleak results against the stronger competition of the NCAA, the White Sox looked beyond the stats and selected him in the 17th round in 2018.
Moniot enjoyed a surprisingly decent season with the Great Falls Voyagers, in a utility role. In 38 games and 114 at-bats, he managed to slash .289/.391/.412 with one homer, 14 RBIs, two stolen bases, 17 walks (12.59%) and 29 strikeouts (21.48%). Being a switch-hitter doesn’t hurt his stock, and neither does his versatility — he played four different positions over those 38 games. It’s possible that Moniot may return to Great Falls to begin the 2019 season, but if someone like Steele Walker earns a promotion to Winston-Salem before June, Moniot may be called up to take Walker’s place before the Voyagers season even begins.