CHICAGO -- Third baseman Yoán Moncada will spend the holidays and most of January in Cuba, but that doesn’t mean he will be taking a vacation from his 2020 preparation.

“This year I’m going to do most of the work, most of my preparation and conditioning here in Cuba,” said Moncada through interpreter Billy Russo during a phone interview from Cuba with MLB.com. “My focus has been more on my body and my conditioning. I think that’s the slightest difference this year.

“I’ve been working more on my conditioning instead of my offense or my fielding. Actually, I haven’t started hitting yet, like, full time. I haven’t even started throwing yet.

“Those are the next two steps I’m going to add to my routine in the next couple of weeks, just to get it going for when I get back to the U.S. That’s when I will start in all the aspects of my game full time.”

Before Moncada made the trip to Cuba, he spent two weeks working at the White Sox Camelback Ranch complex in Glendale, Ariz. He followed a similar plan last offseason, when he spent extended time with manager Rick Renteria and former hitting coach Todd Steverson, poring over video and refining his offensive approach. He also took grounders in early preparation for the move from second base to third base.

That trip was an idea of Moncada’s, brought to Renteria and Steverson near the end of 2018 after he finished his first full season with 17 home runs, 32 doubles, 61 RBIs, a .714 OPS and 217 strikeouts.

That visit to Camelback was the base of a great turnaround for Moncada, who was the White Sox best all-around position player in ’19. His .315 average placed him third in the American League behind teammate Tim Anderson and the Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu. He also produced a .915 OPS and career highs with 34 doubles, 25 homers, 79 RBIs, 83 runs scored, a 141 OPS+ and a 5.7 fWAR. The switch-hitter recorded an .845 OPS against left-handed pitching, up from .585 the year before.

But this offseason has been a bit different. His Arizona work this year was centered on conditioning, specifically his legs, to avoid something like the issue with his right hamstring that kept him out of action last season from July 30 to Aug. 22.

“Basically, I just worked on my body. That was the main goal this time. I think it was good,” he said. “I was following the program that the team has for us during the offseason, especially because that program in my case is designed to get more flexibility in my legs, just because of all the injuries and the problems that I have in my legs the last couple of years.

“I want to play every single game. I don’t want to get out of the games next year. I don’t want to have the same problems that I had this year or that I had in the last couple of years with my legs. That’s why I’m focusing 100 percent right now on my conditioning.”

While in Cuba, Moncada is living with his parents and siblings in Cienfuegos. He spoke of an upcoming Christmas celebration in which the whole street is closed off for a big party with neighbors.

This family time is important to Moncada, but so is his work toward another strong season. He possesses Most Valuable Player-type ability, but he also has a veteran demeanor at the age of 24 that keeps him level-headed in the face of such lofty expectations.

“Honestly, I don’t think too much about that,” said Moncada of MVP or even All-Star talk. “I just try to keep my focus, try to work on the things I need to work on and try to do my job. What people say … . It’s good. It can be flattering, but you can’t think about it.”