Andrew Benintendi

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Andrew Benintendi
Andrew Benintendi on August 17, 2016.jpg
Benintendi with the Boston Red Sox in 2016
Kansas City Royals – No. 16
Left fielder
Born: (1994-07-06) July 6, 1994 (age 27)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
August 2, 2016, for the Boston Red Sox
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Batting average.274
Home runs68
Runs batted in333
Teams
  • Boston Red Sox (2016–2020)
  • Kansas City Royals (2021–present)
Career highlights and awards
  • World Series champion (2018)
  • Gold Glove Award (2021)
  • Golden Spikes Award (2015)
  • Dick Howser Trophy (2015)

Andrew Sebastian Benintendi (born July 6, 1994), nicknamed "Benny", is an American professional baseball Left fielder for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox from 2016 through 2020.

Benintendi played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks of the University of Arkansas. The Red Sox selected Benintendi in the first round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, and he made his MLB debut with the Red Sox in 2016. Listed at 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg), he bats and throws left-handed.

Amateur career[]

Benintendi receiving the Dick Howser Trophy in 2015

Benintendi attended Madeira High School in Madeira, Ohio. As a senior, he batted .564 with 12 home runs, 57 runs batted in (RBIs), and 38 stolen bases for the Mustangs baseball team, and was the ABCA/Rawlings National High School Player of the Year and Ohio Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.[1] He finished his high school career with an Ohio-record 199 career runs scored.[2][3] He also played high school basketball, earning 2011–12 Cincinnati Enquirer Division III Co-Player of the Year honors and setting school records in career points (1,753) and season points (638), career 3-pointers (180), and points per game in a season (25.5).[4] Benintendi was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 31st round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft,[5] but he did not sign.

Benintendi enrolled at the University of Arkansas to play college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team. As a true freshman, he played in 61 games, with 60 starts and hit .276/.368/.333 with one home run and 27 RBI.[6][7][8]

In 2015, Benintendi led the Southeastern Conference in batting average (.380), home runs (19), on-base percentage (.489), slugging percentage (.715), and walks (47). He was named the SEC Player of the Year.[9] He also won the Baseball America College Player of the Year Award,[10] the Dick Howser Trophy,[11] and the Golden Spikes Award.[12] Benintendi was considered one of the top prospects for the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.

Professional career[]

Boston Red Sox[]

Benintendi was drafted by the Boston Red Sox with the seventh overall selection in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.[13] He signed with the Red Sox, receiving a $3.6 million signing bonus.[14] Benintendi made his professional debut with the Lowell Spinners of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League.[15] Andrew finished the 2015 season playing 19 games for the Class A Greenville Drive going 26/74 (.351) and posting an OPS of 1.011. He began the 2016 season with the Salem Red Sox of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League, and received a promotion to the Portland Sea Dogs of the Class AA Eastern League on May 15.[16]

2016[]

The Red Sox promoted Benintendi to the major leagues on August 2, 2016, straight from Double-A, only 421 days after being selected in the draft.[17] He made his major league debut on August 2, against the Seattle Mariners as a pinch hitter, and recorded his first major league hit off of Hisashi Iwakuma on August 3.[18] Benintendi recorded both his first major league triple and home run against the Detroit Tigers on August 21 in a 10–5 loss.[19]

On October 6, in Game 1 of the 2016 ALDS against the Cleveland Indians, Benintendi hit a home run in his first postseason at bat, off of Indians' pitcher Trevor Bauer. With the feat, Benintendi became the youngest Red Sox player to hit a home run in a postseason game.[20] However, the Indians won the game by a score of 5–4 and swept the series in three games. Benintendi ended the 2016 season with a .295 batting average, 31 hits, 14 RBIs, two home runs, and one stolen base in 34 games played.[21]

2017[]

Benintendi started the 2017 season as part of the Red Sox' Opening Day roster, batting second as Boston defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 5–3.[22][23] On July 4, against the Texas Rangers, Benintendi went 5-for-5 with 6 RBIs, two home runs, and a double in the 11–4 victory.[24] He finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, despite receiving no first-place votes due to Aaron Judge winning unanimously.[25] Overall, during the 2017 Red Sox regular season, Benintendi batted .271 with 20 home runs, 90 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 151 games played. In the ALDS against the eventual World Series champions, the Houston Astros, he batted .250 (4-for-16) with a home run and two RBIs in four games.

2018[]

For the 2018 Red Sox, Benintendi was again on the Opening Day roster. Through the first half of the season, he was the team's regular left fielder, usually batting second, behind Mookie Betts. On July 8, Benintendi was named as a candidate in the American League's All-Star Final Vote, for a spot in the 2018 MLB All-Star Game.[26] At that point in the season, Benintendi had a slash line of .293/.379/.515 with 14 home runs and 55 RBIs. In the Final Vote, fans selected Jean Segura of the Seattle Mariners.[27] For the season Benintendi appeared in 148 games hitting .290 with 41 doubles, 103 runs scored, 16 home runs and 87 RBIs and stealing 21 bases. In the 2018 MLB playoffs, Benintendi recorded the final outs to seal victories for the Red Sox in Games 4 and 5 of the 2018 American League Championship Series, the first of the two a diving effort to prevent a bases-loaded hit in a two-run game.[28] The Red Sox won the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving Benintendi his first championship title.[29] In the World Series Benintendi had 4 hits in Game 1 and hit .333 in the Fall Classic.

2019[]

Benintendi began the 2019 season as Boston's regular left fielder. Manager Alex Cora initially made him the team's leadoff hitter,[30] until the start of June when Cora moved Benintendi to second in the order, with Mookie Betts batting first, as was the team's usual order in 2018.[31] On June 11, he was ejected, for the first time in his MLB career, for a comment he made about the home plate umpire (Ángel Hernández) that was heard by the first base umpire (Vic Carapazza).[32] For the season, Benintendi appeared in 138 games, batting .266 with 40 doubles, 13 home runs and 68 RBIs.

2020[]

On February 8, 2020, the Red Sox announced signing Benintendi to a two-year, $10 million deal.[33] On July 29, he recorded the 500th hit of his major league career, a ground rule double off of New York Mets pitcher Jeurys Familia.[34] Benintendi was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 12, with a right rib cage strain.[35] Benintendi's 2020 campaign came to an end on September 8, after being transferred to the 45-day injury list.[36] With the 2020 Red Sox, Benintendi was 4-for-39 at the plate (.103) with one RBI.

Kansas City Royals[]

On February 10, 2021, the Red Sox traded Benintendi and cash considerations to the Kansas City Royals as part of a three-team trade in which the Red Sox acquired Franchy Cordero, Josh Winckowski, and three players to be named later (identified in June as minor league prospects: outfielder Freddy Valdez from the Mets, and pitchers Grant Gambrell and Luis De La Rosa from the Royals)[37] while the New York Mets received Khalil Lee.[38] In his first year with the Royals, Benintendi batted .276/.324/.442 with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs in 134 games. He led all left fielders with 1,116 innings played and a .987 fielding percentage, and won his first Gold Glove Award.[39]

Personal life[]

Benintendi's paternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from Italy.[40] He grew up a Cincinnati Reds fan.[41]

Benintendi resides in St. Louis, Missouri, during the offseason, and during the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, he voiced his support for the St. Louis Blues as opposed to the Boston Bruins.[42]

References[]

  1. ^ "Arkansas Baseball Signee Named Player Of The Year". Arkansas News. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  2. ^ "30 Years of Honoring The Future: Former POY Andrew Benintendi on a major power surge". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  3. ^ "Madeira grad Benintendi's blazing, leads NCAA in HRs". Cincinnati.com. April 18, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  4. ^ "Andrew Benintendi Stats, Fantasy & News". Boston Red Sox.
  5. ^ "Reds select Madeira's Andrew Benintendi in MLB draft".
  6. ^ Nate Allen, nallensports@att.net (May 5, 2015). "Allen: Weights, change of stance pay off for Benintendi". The Baxter Bulletin. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  7. ^ "Beefed-up Benintendi gives Hogs more bang". NWADG.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Hot Springs Sentinel Record – Benintendi blasting off for Arkansas". hotsr.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  9. ^ "SEC Baseball Awards" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  10. ^ Dyer, Mike (June 11, 2015). "Andrew Benintendi named Baseball America National Player of the Year". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  11. ^ Red Sox pick Benintendi wins Howser Trophy, MLB.com. Published June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  12. ^ Jones, Matt (June 23, 2015). "Benintendi wins Golden Spikes Award". Arkansas Online. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  13. ^ Speier, Alex (June 9, 2015). "Red Sox draft Arkansas OF Andrew Benintendi seventh overall". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  14. ^ Willis, David (August 12, 2015). "Red Sox first round pick Benintendi showing why he dominated college baseball world". Gloucester Daily Times. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  15. ^ McCaffrey, Jen (August 11, 2015). "Boston Red Sox prospects: Andrew Benintendi impressing at Class A Short-Season Lowell". masslive.com. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  16. ^ Peng, Michael (May 15, 2016). "Red Sox promote Benintendi to Double-A: MLB.com's No. 22 overall prospect put together 23-game hit streak". MiLB.com. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  17. ^ Wilbur, Eric (August 2, 2016). "Here comes Andrew Benintendi, stamped with 'rush delivery' to the Red Sox". Boston.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  18. ^ "Boston Red Sox at Seattle Mariners Box Score, August 3, 2016 - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  19. ^ "Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers - Box Score - August 21, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  20. ^ Hartwell, Darren (October 6, 2016). "Watch Andrew Benintendi Hit Huge Homer In His First Postseason At-Bat". Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  21. ^ "Andrew Benintendi Stats, Fantasy & News". Boston Red Sox. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  22. ^ Corcoran, Cliff (April 2, 2017). "Breaking down the Red Sox' Opening Day roster". Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  23. ^ Dillon, Kevin (April 3, 2017). "Boston Red Sox Opening Day 2017: Complete coverage from Monday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates". Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  24. ^ "Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers Box Score, July 4, 2017". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  25. ^ "MLB Awards: Aaron Judge unanimously named 2017 AL Rookie of the Year". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  26. ^ "Andrew Benintendi Makes Ballot For All-Star Final Vote". WBZ-TV. July 8, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  27. ^ Adler, David (July 11, 2018). "Segura, Aguilar win MLB Final Vote". MLB.com. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  28. ^ "Andrew Benintendi makes final out of ALCS for Red Sox, heads to his first World Series". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  29. ^ "Boston Red Sox win 2018 World Series". MLB. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  30. ^ Walker, Ben (December 11, 2018). "Red Sox moving Mookie Betts from leadoff to second slot". Boston.com. AP. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  31. ^ Mastrodonato, Jason (June 2, 2019). "Cora: Mookie Betts to lead off for Red Sox for 'rest of the season'". Boston Herald. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  32. ^ Princiotti, Nora (June 11, 2019). "Red Sox fall to Rangers". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  33. ^ Smith, Christopher (February 8, 2020). "Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox agree to two-year contract, avoid arbitration hearing". masslive.com. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  34. ^ Penney, Sean (July 30, 2020). "Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi records 500th career hit". bosoxinjection. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  35. ^ "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. August 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  36. ^ "Red Sox Shut Down Andrew Benintendi For Rest Of 2020 Season". WBZ-TV. September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  37. ^ "Red Sox get 3 prospects to complete Andrew Benintendi trade". Yahoo! News. AP. June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  38. ^ "Boston Red Sox send Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City Royals in 3-team deal". ESPN.com. February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  39. ^ Rogers, Anne (November 7, 2021). "Royals' outfield duo takes home Gold Gloves". MLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  40. ^ "Andrew Benintendi's family following Red Sox outfielder's rise from the 'Garage Mahal' to Fenway Park". The Republican. April 18, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  41. ^ Fay, John (September 23, 2017). "Fay: Red Sox rookie Andrew Benintendi is still a Madeira hometown boy". WCPO-TV.
  42. ^ Hartwell, Darren (May 30, 2019). "Why Andrew Benintendi is rooting against Bruins in Stanley Cup Final". NBC Sports.

External links[]

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