DOB: 07/06/1994
Height/Weight: 5’10” 185 lbs.
Bats/Throws: L/L
Future Tools: 55 speed, 55 hit, 55 glove, 50+ power Role: 55—above-average regular in center field
BP () -
Here’s how far off the radar Benintendi was coming into the 2015 season: I was unaware he existed. Not that I’m the all-knowing draft expert, but I know a bit, and to go from that to a guy who many believed was the draft’s best hitting prospect… it’s pretty darn impressive. His swing is gorgeous, getting through the zone quickly with above-average bat speed and very little wasted movement. He’s deceptively strong and his swing has just enough loft to drive the ball into the gaps, with above-average power very much a possibility. He’s a smart hitter who rarely beats himself by swinging at early pitches or anything outside the strike zone, and his elite hand-eye coordination means there’s very little swing-and-miss.
Benintendi is by no means a burner, but he should be able to stay in the middle of the grass. He gets good jumps with efficient routes, and his average arm strength plays up because it’s accurate.
Of the “big four” prospects in the system, Benintendi is the one who likely moves the fastest through the system, and while the upside isn’t elite, his feel for the game and four above-average tools make him a high-floor player who could hit near the top of the Boston order.
Bret Sayre’s Fantasy take: As a fast-moving five-category outfielder, Benintendi has plenty of things going for him in dynasty leagues. What he might not have, though, is impact—but he also might not need impact to be a passable OF2. Just look at what Adam Eaton did this year with mid-teens power, nearly 20 steals and a bushel of runs.
KLaw (18) -
Benintendi was not on the national radar going into the spring of 2015 as a draft-eligible sophomore at the University of Arkansas who hit one home run in a 2014 season in which he played through some injuries. He started hitting right away, though, and ended the spring with a .376/.488/.717 line, winning the Golden Spikes Trophy and the SEC Player of the Year award. A 31st-rounder out of high school, Benintendi jumped to the eighth pick in the country two years later -- and even that might have been a bit late.
Benintendi has an unusual profile: He's a short, athletic power-hitting center fielder with the potential for a Mike Cameron stat line from a Reed Johnson body. He's a plus runner with above-average to plus power, and the early consensus on him in pro ball is that he will stay in center field, or at least won't have to move, although Boston has a surfeit of legitimate plus defenders in center who could push a couple of qualified gloves to the corners. He's probably a 55 defender in center when it's all said and done, an above-average runner with good instincts, a potential 20-homer, 20-steal guy at a position where, other than Mike Trout, that kind of player just doesn't exist much anymore.
Michael Conforto and Kyle Schwarber went from college to the majors in 12 to 13 months, and given Benintendi's skill set and the approach he showed in his 54 games in pro ball last year, I see no reason he couldn't do the same if need be.
MLB.com (25) - Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55
The Ohio state Division III baseball and basketball Player of the Year as a high school senior, Benintendi impressed scouts with his projectable athleticism but lasted 31 rounds in the 2013 Draft because he was virtually unsignable away from his commitment to Arkansas. After hitting just one homer while battling injuries as a Razorbacks freshman, he led NCAA Division I with 20 as a sophomore while hitting .376/.488/.717 with 24 steals. Benintendi led Arkansas to the 2015 College World Series, won every major college Player of the Year award and signed for $3,590,400 as the No. 7 overall pick in the Draft by the Red Sox -- who ranked him second (behind only No. 1 choice Dansby Swanson) on their board.
Benintendi had the best all-around tools of any college player in the 2015 Draft, and he continued to rake in his pro debut. He's a pure hitter with a pretty left-handed stroke, a keen sense of the strike zone and impressive patience. Benintendi is not physically imposing at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, but he has a quick left-handed swing and deceptive strength, and he projects as a possible .300 hitter with 20 or more homers per year.
Benintendi's value goes far beyond his offensive contributions. He has plus speed and good instincts in all phases of the game, making him a viable basestealer and a quality center fielder. Benintendi's worst tool is his arm, though it grades as average and won't prevent him from playing any of the three outfield positions.
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