Monasterio key to Red Sox's rhythm down the stretch

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. MLB.com's Michael Clair wrote this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

"That was my last chance,” Andruw Monasterio said, recalling his tryout with the Chicago Cubs back home in Venezuela in 2014. He had already seen friends and teammates scooped up by other ballclubs, but no one wanted the shortstop from Caucagua, Venezuela, a small city of about 35,000 that is a main thoroughfare between the nation’s capital, Caracas, and the rest of the Miranda state.

“Everybody saw you already,” the head of the academy told Monasterio before the workout. “If you don’t sign here, maybe you aren’t going to sign.”

Fortunately for Monasterio, he put together his best performance that day. The Cubs signed the infielder for the bargain price of $7,500 – a number that was just 1/400th of the amount that Dermis Garcia received as the most expensive international free agent that summer.

In another universe, perhaps this would be the beginning of a rapid ascent through the Minor Leagues toward Major League stardom. But in this one, Monasterio – who began playing baseball at age 3 when his mother asked for him to be enrolled in a baseball academy – it was just the start of a battle he would fight for the next decade.

In 2018, he was traded to the Nationals in exchange for Daniel Murphy. Four months later, he was on the move again as the player to be named later in a deal for Cleveland’s Yan Gomes. He spent eight years in the Minor Leagues and was twice a Minor League free agent – including the 2020 season when the MiLB season was canceled. He didn’t hit the field at all that year until the winter when he returned to Venezuela to play with Caribes de Anzoategui in the winter league.

“I thought I had the ability to play in the big leagues,” Monasterio recalled, “but all that happened through my career, it wasn’t easy. I never lost hope during those years.”

Even armed with self-belief, there were difficult moments and crises of confidence. Rather than wallow in self-pity, that’s when Monasterio turned on the stereo.

“It's going to be weird, but I listened to music,” Monasterio said with a smile. “I listened to music for maybe an hour or two hours. It [helped my mindset] switch quickly.”

Monasterio would put on a mix of mostly reggaeton and trap, with each of the tracks featuring themes of people overcoming hardship and defying the odds. The years may have passed and the man known as “Mona” might be a big leaguer, but he’s still using that music to fuel his performance. No. 1 on his playlist? “Fronteamos Porque Podemos” by De La Ghetto featuring Daddy Yankee, a track featuring this translation of its lyrics that could also be the story of Monasterio’s career:

“We started from the bottom and now we have everything. They said we couldn't, they laughed at me. And look at me now, even I can't believe it."

Now three years on from his big league debut with the Brewers, Monasterio has become a crucial part of the Red Sox’s mid-season turnaround. He’s known as a quintessential “glue guy,” always happy and upbeat. Red Sox beat writer Ian Browne wrote that he was “easily in the running as one of kindest players on the Red Sox.”

But Monasterio isn’t just a vibes guy. He’s backed that up with his performance on the field. During Boston’s 21-4 stretch in July, Monasterio started 22 of those games at shortstop, hitting .339 with three home runs, including a game-winning, 10th-inning, 428-foot shot to defeat the A’s on July 29. With a month of the season still to come, Monasterio has already set career highs in home runs, RBIs, and – perhaps best of all – games played.

But the breakout didn’t come out of nowhere. The proud multiposition player can see the effect of lessons he learned during those lean years in the Minor Leagues.

“I always felt grateful for [those experiences] because they made me who I am right now,” Monasterio said. “If you spend those years in the Minor Leagues, when you get to the big leagues, it’s going to be easier for you because you had those rough experiences. Those guys who have a short Minor League career, when they get to the big leagues, it’s going to be tougher.”

Though Monasterio will likely cede playing time at short with Trevor Story coming off the injured list, manager Chad Tracy already admitted that Monasterio has earned a chance to play all over the field.

“He’ll still play,” Tracy told MassLive earlier in August. “It’s hard to deny. He’ll play second. You saw the early part of the season where Mona was playing third, second and a little bit of short if he needed to. The way he’s swung the bat against both left and right, you can’t deny that or ignore it.”

That versatility isn’t just something that Monasterio takes pride in – it’s a key part of the Red Sox’s success this season, as players like Nick Sogard and Anthony Seigler have taken on starring roles while shifting around the field, too.

“I think the game is going to be like that in five years,” Monasterio said. “Like, everybody is going to have to play different positions. I feel like the game is gonna be like that soon. If you see most of the teams, they have like at least two or three [utility players]. That's also good for your career.”

With a month of the season left, Monasterio isn’t thinking of where he came from or what he’s already accomplished. He may be the kid who nearly went unsigned in Venezuela, but he’s still looking ahead at what’s next.

“It means a lot because when you are a kid, you never know what you’re going to accomplish. It’s something I take day by day,” Monasterio said. “I never think in the past.”

While Monasterio may have solidified his place in the big leagues and on this Red Sox team, don’t expect to hear his pump-up playlist coming over the speakers in the clubhouse.

“I don’t even touch it in the weight room,” Monasterio said with a laugh. “I have, like, four years in the big leagues, but there’s always somebody with more time than me, so I never touch it. Maybe when I get to 10 years, but the atmosphere in there is awesome.”