Benintendi talk

[soxhop411]

“@EvanDrellich: BREAKING: Andrew Benintendi is to meet the Red Sox in Seattle tomorrow, the Herald has learned. https://t.co/LBI2aTrkaR


“@IanMBrowne: Michael Martinez just headed to Farrell ‘s office, so he will go to make room for Benintendi.”

 

[Luis Taint]

It's happening.gif

 

[Bigpupp]

 

[Rob Bergurson]

Ahhhhh

 

[jimbobim]

I mean I literally said " Brentz has showed me nothing these last 5 games or so" about 20 mins ago. Boom Benintendi up. Lets get it. Love the aggressiveness

 

[Soxfan in Fla]

Well, there's only one possible reason they'd want him to meet them out there. Should be fun to see how he does.

 

[Laser Show]

PLEASE OH PLEASE assign him number 64

 

[DeadlySplitter]

Shaw, Leon, Benintendi 7-9 is good.

What I fear is the offense will come around but then the rotation will have a shit turn again. cannot sync right now

 

[DeadlySplitter]

PLEASE OH PLEASE assign him number 64

Brentz already has 64.

 

[UncleStinkfinger]

boing

 

[Bigpupp]

Brentz already has 64.

Don't they need to clear a spot on the 40 man?

 

[Laser Show]

Brentz already has 64.

I don't care make it happen! haha

 

[brandonchristensen]

Awesome!

 

[Pilgrim]

Career 312/392/540 hitter in the minors and struck out in only 1/10 of his PA. That will do it. It would be awesome if he had a Conforto type debut, but this team could really use even a slightly respectable player in left right now.

 

[nvalvo]

*wrong thread*

 

[nvalvo]

*twice*

 

[Rasputin]

I am incredibly excited about this.

 

[E5 Yaz]

I know we're all excited for Benintendi, but remember that Alex Bregman was thought to be the No. 1 or 2 prospect in all of baseball ... and he has struggled worse than early Pedroia -- 0-for-6 tonight, batting .036.

 

[Rasputin]

I know we're all excited for Benintendi, but remember that Alex Bregman was thought to be the No. 1 or 2 prospect in all of baseball ... and he has struggled worse than early Pedroia -- 0-for-6 tonight, batting .036.

Pfft.

Benintendi is going to hit six home runs tomorrow night.

 

[BigSoxFan]

I know we're all excited for Benintendi, but remember that Alex Bregman was thought to be the No. 1 or 2 prospect in all of baseball ... and he has struggled worse than early Pedroia -- 0-for-6 tonight, batting .036.

Meanwhile, David Dahl is batting .370 after his first week with the Rockies. We'll soon find out what Benintendi is capable of at this moment but I think there's plenty to get excited about.

 

[#1GreenwellFan]

Pfft.

Benintendi is going to hit six home runs tomorrow night.

I'll settle for someone slightly resembling a hitter with a pulse playing left at the moment.

 

[Rasputin]

I'll settle for someone slightly resembling a hitter with a pulse playing left at the moment.

Seven!

And we're gonna make you pay for it, too!

 

[Pilgrim]

I know we're all excited for Benintendi, but remember that Alex Bregman was thought to be the No. 1 or 2 prospect in all of baseball ... and he has struggled worse than early Pedroia -- 0-for-6 tonight, batting .036.

Absolutely, but I feel like the timing of this move is good with Young coming back soon. They can frame it as an injury callup, and if he struggles badly it isnt a huge deal.

 

[McBride11]

Pfft.

Benintendi is going to hit six home runs tomorrow night.

Excellent. And I will be in attendance. As I was tonite for the Mookie blast.

 

[soxhop411]

“@IanMBrowne: Michael Martinez just headed to Farrell ‘s office, so he will go to make room for Benintendi.”

NOT Brentz!

 

[Bigpupp]

Meh - He's just as useless as Brentz. And with Benintendi up Holt can go back to the utility role. No need for Martinez.

 

[bosockboy]

Yes Brentz is more logical to hang onto until Young is back. Holt replaces Martinez.

 

[LesterFan]

Tim Britton @TimBritton
Benintendi flying tomorrow. Will start Wednesday. Layne and Martinez have been designated for assignment.

Tim Britton @TimBritton
Benintendi and Brentz will platoon in LF for the time being. Holt back in a utility role.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

LeBlanc is nothing special even lefty on lefty. Meh.

As soon as Young is ready Brentz goes. hopefully he can be a bit more than nohting.

 

[jimbobim]

This was an excellent read http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=30013

Scouting Report: Benintendi makes things look easy. Despite being no bigger than 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, he generates easy plus bat speed, and his consistent control of his swing along with excellent hands allows him to make hard contact to pitches on every part of the plate. He recognizes pitches well, and though he’s aggressive, he certainly won’t give away at-bats by swinging at pitches out of the zone. There’s also very little swing-and-miss here, as he possesses excellent hand-eye coordination and has a knack for fouling off tough pitches.

Despite his small size, Benintendi also has a great chance to hit for power at the next level, as well. It’s closer to above-average than to plus, but the swing path allows for natural lift, and he generates some leverage with his lower half as well. I wouldn’t expect 30 homer seasons, but 20-plus homer seasons are well within reach. He’s also a plus runner, but if there’s one weakness to his offensive skillset, it’s that he’s not a great base stealer. Yet.

Immediate Big-League Future: “That guy is a big league player right now” — anonymous scout because I didn’t know who he was. I heard some iteration of that said a bunch at the Futures Game in San Diego three weeks ago, and I can’t disagree with them. There are four plus tools here, and Benintendi is such a smart player with quality instincts that it’s really tough to see him not being an impact player immediately. Baseball is really hard, but Benintendi makes it looks easy —Christopher Crawford

 

[nothumb]

I have Sea Dogs tickets for today, was just telling my wife how stoked I am to see some of these young guys before they get called up

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

Two late inning, come from behind wins in a row and now Benintendi gets called up????

 

[simplicio]

Two late inning, come from behind wins in a row and now Benintendi gets called up????

Called up for the right Sox even. What a day.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe 35m35 minutes ago
#RedSox plan to use Benintendi in a platoon in LF and return Holt to a utility role. Expect Benintendi's first start on Wednesday.

***

I know, break him in slowly. I get it. But his minor league numbers are pretty good against lefties, so why the platoon? How does he get a chance to show he can hit lefties on the major-league level, if they don't let him face them?

 

[Mike Greenwall]

Good luck Rook.

Welcome to the show.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Well, I know what I'm doing Wednesday night at 10.

 

[geoduck no quahog]

Great deadline deal. Good news.

 

[AlNipper49]

Well, I know what I'm doing Wednesday night at 10.

I'm going to let me kids stay up late so that they can see his first at bat.

 

[derekson]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe 35m35 minutes ago
#RedSox plan to use Benintendi in a platoon in LF and return Holt to a utility role. Expect Benintendi's first start on Wednesday.

***

I know, break him in slowly. I get it. But his minor league numbers are pretty good against lefties, so why the platoon? How does he get a chance to show he can hit lefties on the major-league level, if they don't let him face them?

I imagine they also want to hold the short side platoon role open for Young when he gets back rather than establishing Benintendi as an everyday player and then demoting him to a platoon role when CY returns.

 

[Buzzkill Pauley]

So not only did the Sox win in the 9th in Seattle, but Benintendi is called up with his first game Weds?

Sweet!

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

Maybe he'll turn in an Ellsbury-like performance circa 2007..... would be sweet.

 

[j44thor]

This was an excellent read http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=30013

Scouting Report: Benintendi makes things look easy. Despite being no bigger than 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, he generates easy plus bat speed, and his consistent control of his swing along with excellent hands allows him to make hard contact to pitches on every part of the plate. He recognizes pitches well, and though he’s aggressive, he certainly won’t give away at-bats by swinging at pitches out of the zone. There’s also very little swing-and-miss here, as he possesses excellent hand-eye coordination and has a knack for fouling off tough pitches.

Despite his small size, Benintendi also has a great chance to hit for power at the next level, as well. It’s closer to above-average than to plus, but the swing path allows for natural lift, and he generates some leverage with his lower half as well. I wouldn’t expect 30 homer seasons, but 20-plus homer seasons are well within reach. He’s also a plus runner, but if there’s one weakness to his offensive skillset, it’s that he’s not a great base stealer. Yet.

Immediate Big-League Future: “That guy is a big league player right now” — anonymous scout because I didn’t know who he was. I heard some iteration of that said a bunch at the Futures Game in San Diego three weeks ago, and I can’t disagree with them. There are four plus tools here, and Benintendi is such a smart player with quality instincts that it’s really tough to see him not being an impact player immediately. Baseball is really hard, but Benintendi makes it looks easy —Christopher Crawford

Soxprospects had a slightly less glowing report that is probably worth reading as well if only to help temper expectations.
http://news.soxprospects.com/2016/08/transaction-analysis-breaking-down_2.html

Given his physical profile, you would not expect Benintendi to be a power threat, but he has surprising power for his size, showing plus raw power. He likes to clear his hips through with a slight uppercut and leverage and loft in his swing. As a result, he currently shows most of his power to the pull side; this year, eight of his nine home runs have gone to right field. In batting practice during scouting looks, he struggled somewhat to get the loft and drive the ball with the same effect when going the opposite way. Given the success left-handed hitters who can use all fields can have at Fenway Park with the short porch in left, this is an area Benintendi will likely look to improve on at the big league level.

Goes on to mention that he has struggled a bit defensively since being moved to LF at Hadlock, taking his eye off the ball looking for the replica wall at times.

Still the bar is quite low for LHH LF this year so if he can put up an OPS of around 700 with decent defense he should be a net positive.

 

[joe dokes]

This also allows Holt to play a game or three at 2B and SS *before* Pedroia and Bogaerts "need" it. I've never seen Martinez play IF, but it doesnt seem as though Farrell had a whole lot of faith in the idea, despite his alleged ability to play all those positions. There's been a bit of back and forth about the manager's input on personnel. I wonder if this was along the lines of "Dave, I have to get Pedey and X days off, but Martinez just can't cut it in the IF. I dont care if its Holt, Rutledge or Hernandez, but we need someone there."

Goes on to mention that he has struggled a bit defensively since being moved to LF at Hadlock, taking his eye off the ball looking for the replica wall at times.

Good thing that roughly 112% of their remaining games are on the road.

 

[Toe Nash]

Exciting move, but rationally I would have rather traded for someone or stood pat.

He's fairly likely to struggle; Bregman is a good example and AJ Reed who also hit the shit out of the ball in the minors had a .539 OPS and got sent back down. They both hit as well as AB and at AAA. It's a lot of pressure to put on him - if there was a whole season ahead I could see it but you're throwing him right into the most important games. And even if he's adequate you're still starting his service time clock.

 

[TheoShmeo]

Exciting move, but rationally I would have rather traded for someone or stood pat.

He's fairly likely to struggle; Bregman is a good example and AJ Reed who also hit the shit out of the ball in the minors had a .539 OPS and got sent back down. They both hit as well as AB and at AAA. It's a lot of pressure to put on him - if there was a whole season ahead I could see it but you're throwing him right into the most important games. And even if he's adequate you're still starting his service time clock.

I think this reminds us of just how badly JWH wants to win -- or at least make the playoffs -- in Ortiz's last year. I assume it's for both sentimental and practical reasons. They want to send David out in style and know that winning without him will be tougher.

Now true, they did not go so far as to trade away one or both of their best prospects (and all three if you include Devers). But that might have been because the asks were so high rather than an unwillingness to do so.

In any event, Henry has said if David's last game is not a playoff game, it was a failure, and I think potentially rushing Benintendi and starting his service clock speaks to that.

Not that I think it's a bad move or that there are not other factors. With all the injuries, they have not gotten much out of LF. The kid COULD change that. But to me, the Ortiz situation and the desire to get back to the playoffs in general are the biggest drivers.

 

[IdiotKicker]

This is already a pretty special lineup in terms of young talent, and if Benintendi is able to put it together (not necessarily this season, but heading into next year), you are legitimately talking about one of the great young offensive cores of all-time. Better appreciate it, because this doesn't come around often.

 

[SouthernBoSox]

I know this is over simplistic for SoSH, but this team really needs a left handed bat in left field and the best outfielder in the system is a left handed bat in AA. It's just that simple.

He also happens to be a guy who's a top 10 prospect in baseball, an SEC player of the year, and someone who really hasn't had any issues hitting at any level after about 1-2 weeks of at bats.

 

[joe dokes]

I think this reminds us of just how badly JWH wants to win -- or at least make the playoffs -- in Ortiz's last year. I assume it's for both sentimental and practical reasons. They want to send David out in style and know that winning without him will be tougher.

Now true, they did not go so far as to trade away one or both of their best prospects (and all three if you include Devers). But that might have been because the asks were so high rather than an unwillingness to do so.

In any event, Henry has said if David's last game is not a playoff game, it was a failure, and I think potentially rushing Benintendi and starting his service clock speaks to that.

Not that I think it's a bad move or that there are not other factors. With all the injuries, they have not gotten much out of LF. The kid COULD change that. But to me, the Ortiz situation and the desire to get back to the playoffs in general are the biggest drivers.

I think your 2nd paragraph undermines your first. If "getting David to the playoffs" was the ultimate driver here, then they would have traded for a more sure thing. I think we're overthinking all this with the talk of "rushing" and "service clock." This is not the team's first attempt to get Holt back to the utility job that most agree he is best suited for and most helps the team. They think AB can help. (For better or worse, he's the best in-house option). They didn't want to trade any top-flight prospects to get, say Beltran or Reddick. That strikes me as the opposite of JWH wanting to win any more badly than usual. (He probably does, of course, but the team isn't acting like it).

Its one thing to think service clocks in april, but in august, in a pennant race, a team that worries more (or at all) about service time than whether a guy can help is a team run by idiots. Holt has an OPS+ of 90. AB doesn't even have to get that high, considering that his presence gets rid of Martinez and gets Holt back to supersub, which gets Bogaerts and Pedroia a couple of days off in the very near term, which is important given the schedule right now.

This also gives them some insight on his post-season possibility, so they can juggle the roster appropriately on 8/31. There isn't really an iota of downside here.

 

[Detts]

I know this is over simplistic for SoSH, but this team really needs a left handed bat in left field and the best outfielder in the system is a left handed bat in AA. It's just that simple.

He also happens to be a guy who's a top 10 prospect in baseball, an SEC player of the year, and someone who really hasn't had any issues hitting at any level after about 1-2 weeks of at bats.

I know this is over simplistic for SoSH, but this team really needs a left handed bat in left field and the best outfielder in the system is a left handed bat in AA. It's just that simple.

He also happens to be a guy who's a top 10 prospect in baseball, an SEC player of the year, and someone who really hasn't had any issues hitting at any level after about 1-2 weeks of at bats.

Lest we forget he was the golden spikes award winner last year.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

I'm psyched. I hope he plays well enough to be here to stay. I think he's the LF for the future either way, but I'm not interested in a JBJ back and forth to AAA learning curve. I saw him earlier in the season and the main difference is the stroke is so short and efficient. It's really the perfect swing if you were teaching someone how to hit. The timing should be there and if he's patient, he'll hit the stuff in the zone.