The Red Sox farm system has long been regarded as one of the best in the major leagues. The development that happens in Salem, Portland and Pawtucket has produced countless All-Stars – including three this year in Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr., all who were groomed and shaped in this 115-year-old franchise.
This year is no different as Boston’s minor-league teams draw big crowds across New England. More than 20,000 fans visited Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester this week for a four-game series between the Fisher Cats and the Portland Sea Dogs.
With names like Andrew Benintendi and Yoan Moncada on the opposing team’s roster, many Fisher Cats fans came out for a look at the future of the Boston Red Sox. Moncada, an international prospect who drew a call of interest from nearly every MLB team last year before signing with the Sox, and Benintendi, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 draft, are mortal locks to end up in The Show someday. Whether that be in the Red Sox organization or elsewhere still remains to be seen.
Here’s a look at what to expect from Benintendi as he climbs the ladder to a big league club:
He does everything well, according to his college coach, Dave Van Horn. In two years at Arkansas, Benintendi left an impression on the 14-year coach who has seen more than 80 players drafted, an impression that started during the recruiting process.
“Well, first off, whenever we saw Andrew play – he wasn’t a big, 6-foot-3 overpowering kid. He was 5-10, 5-11 and just really athletic,” Van Horn said in an interview with the Monitor on Thursday. “I just remember every time we saw him play, he hit. He had a really good idea of the strike zone for a young player. He had a really good swing, ran the bases well, played great defense. He just did everything well.”
Benintendi’s sophomore season is regarded as one of the best in school history. He became the first Razorback to be named National Player of the Year. He was also named SEC Athlete of the Year, another first for the program. Benintendi was a consensus first-team All-American, leading the nation with 20 home runs and paced the SEC with a .376 batting average. He was just the third player in the conference’s 81-year history to lead the way in home runs and batting average.
Anyone who follows the Red Sox has heard about what Benintendi can do with the bat, but Van Horn was quick to give the outfielder credit for what he can do with the glove.
“At the college level, he was an above-average outfielder all the way around,” Van Horn said. “He gets really good reads on the ball. Now, when we are talking big leagues, I think he’ll be a good center fielder, maybe not a superstar. He has an above-average arm, very accurate. But I really think the best part of his defensive game is that he gets really good reads off the bat and takes good routes to the ball.”
Perhaps what impressed Van Horn the most in his time coaching Benintendi was the 22-year-old’s composure.
“He has the mind set and the makeup to stick in the big leagues for a long time,” Van Horn said. “He knows how to get through those tough times. As we all know, baseball is a game of failures and Andrew does a good job of working through those failures.”
After breezing through High-A Salem in 34 games, Benintendi had just two hits in his first 20 plate appearances in Portland. He was hitting .105 with a .150 on-base percentage. Since then, Benintendi has 47 hits in 171 plate appearances and he’s brought his average up to .283.
Once Benintendi was drafted by the Red Sox at No. 7 – the highest draft pick out of Arkansas since Van Horn took over in 2003 – Baseball America rated him one of the most valuable picks in his draft class. He was selected as the best pure hitter, second-best power hitter, fourth-best athlete and the closest college player to the majors in Baseball America’s annual draft report card.
When it comes to evaluating when Benintendi will be ready for the majors, opinions differ vastly. But Van Horn knows one thing – this kid is going to make The Show.
“Oh yeah, no doubt at it,” he said. “Andrew has a chance to be a longtime big leaguer. I think he’ll get up there at a fairly young age just because he’s so advanced at the plate.”
Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said the left-handed outfielder was not considered for the latest open roster spot when Chris Young, Blake Swihart and Brock Holt were all sidelined with injuries. Bryce Brentz was promoted from Pawtucket instead.
“We don’t think (Benintendi’s) ready,” Dombrowski told reporters on June 24. “We didn’t even talk about him in relation to this move. We just don’t think he’s ready and we wouldn’t want to bring him up here until he’s ready.”
Dombrowski was quick to add that he had no problem jumping players from Double-A to the majors and that he thought Benintendi’s defensive game was ready for the next level. He’s just waiting for his offense to catch up.
“He can play here defensively at this point,” Dombrowski said. “Really, the rest of his game could play here. It’s just from an offensive perspective, adjustments are still needed. And they’re normal. He’s growing.”
In all likelihood, the Sox are trying to avoid a painful adjustment period in the major leagues similar to the one Jackie Bradley Jr. experienced. After just 138 games in the minors, Bradley made the 40-man roster, but hit a dismal .198 in his first full season. Now that his bat has finally caught up with his unbelievable defensive skills, just two years later, Bradley is an All-Star.
In comparison, Hanley Ramriez played 400 games in the minor leagues before winning Rookie of the Year with the Marlins in 2006.
Without making any comparisons, Van Horn simply said he has faith in his former star.
“He does everything well,” he said. “I think that he’s someone who can play in the big leagues and can do it for a long time.