The Red Sox’ 2015 first-rounder, 21-year-old centerfielder Andrew Benintendi, has spent 14 games in Greenville since his promotion from short-season Lowell. In that time, he’s managed to separate himself as the most polished member of a young, high-ceiling prospect group that includes Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers, and Javier Guerra.
“What a player,” one rival evaluator recently gushed after seeing Benintendi for the first time. “Picture [Dustin] Pedroia playing centerfield with more speed. [Benintendi] and Betts hitting 1-2 in the order in 2017 will be the best 1-2 combo in baseball. … Just special … Way more advanced than any kid in Boston’s system.”
Benintendi, of course, should be more polished than his Greenville peers, given that he’s 21 (Moncada is 20, Devers 18, Guerra 19, and Espinoza 17) and played two years of college ball in the SEC. But even as the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, the fashion in which he’s sprinted through his first steps in pro ball commands notice.
On Thursday, he went 2-for-5, clubbing a double to right-center and then turning around a 95 mph fastball for a 382-foot walkoff homer to right in the ninth inning. He now has 11 homers in 50 pro games (along with a .303/.408/.551 line), and 31 in 115 games between college and pro ball this year.