The Benintendi Thread

[TedWilliams101]

The thing that concerns me about Beni is that since he's not the prototypical power hitter I have to wonder how long his power will last. He's listed at 5' 10" / 170 and after seeing him I'm not sure those numbers aren't a gift. While there are power hitters who are small in stature when I think of a power hitter with a long career I think of those guys who are 6" and 60 lbs bigger than Beni is.

 

Willie Mays was 5'10 and 170... A lot of power hitters started out really thin and I don't think 2 inches makes any difference in how good a hitter can be or how long their career will be...

[Nick]

He's a doubles hitter, perfect for Fenway.....eventually he will learn to tattoo the Green Monster

[Nick]

Benintendi couldn't have done any worse than Holt on that play out in LF

[bowman]

Bring him the f... up...

[mvp 78]

They need pitching, not Benintendi.

[bowman]

Pitch him lol...

[Spudboy]

That's what I think too. I saw him for the first time at The Fort and I was amazed at how small he is. I was expecting 6'+ and built like a linebacker but he's not.

 

So he's another Pedroia type? Just a little taller?

[moonslav59]

Benintendi couldn't have done any worse than Holt on that play out in LF

 

(Sarcasm alert)

 

Isn't it great Holt can play 7 positions?

[Nick]

moon, if you think Holt should be a regular left fielder, then you and I have nothing to talk about.

[sk7326]

(Sarcasm alert)

 

Isn't it great Holt can play 7 positions?

 

Before looking at sarcasm alert i had a reply here

[sk7326]

So he's another Pedroia type? Just a little taller?

 

Compact swing - I don't think he is crazy undersized like Pedroia was (and Pedroia it was undersized with a swing that simply should not work) ... but just his background implies being a fast mover

[moonslav59]

moon, if you think Holt should be a regular left fielder, then you and I have nothing to talk about.

 

I don't think he should be our regular LF'er, so let's talk.

 

The only position I am truly comfortable with Holt playing long term is 2B, and the only way that happens is if tragedy strikes. Even at 2B, Moncada will soon pass him on my preferred depth chart, if he hasn't already.

 

I like Young (when healthy) better than Holt in any OF position. I like Benintendi (this second) better than Holt in the OF, but I'll defer to Sox management on his ML readiness status. Swihart, when healthy, is a close call.

 

I like Shaw, Hernandez and Rutledge (and soon Moncada)better at 3B long term.

 

I like Hernandez and Marrero at SS better at SS long term.

 

I like HanRam & Shaw better at 1B long term.

 

I'm not sure if Holt's bat can hold up long term at any or several positions. The jury is still out, but his trends of late season declines are concerning.

 

All of this being said, the fact that Holt can play 7 positions in an emergency is immensely valuable, especially to a team with a FT DH.

 

With all the injuries we've had, Holt is currently our best option as a starting OF'er. I am not a Brentz guy.

 

[oldtimer]

Don't ignore that we have another outfielder with a sore knee that may act up. Having Benentendi up at this point makes some sense as insurance. Martinez didn't do the job last night and Holt had a problem. Neither are natural outfielders. Holt is a great utility player and is an asset on the roster. Young and Swihart are still on the DL and probably won't be available to join the team until healed and going through a couple of games in AAA. We need help now.

[Nick]

I bet Benintendi would have made a better effort to the ball than Bryceeee baby......instead Bradley has to pull off a great play, or try to..

[Nick]

Maybe Holt can play CF tomorrow and go 3-3

[DirtDog7]

I don't see the point rushing the kid. Our issue is definitely in the rotation and now the bullpen is thinning out. The LF platoon is fine but s***, let's give CY a few more starts.

[southpaw777]

Nothing wrong with giving the kid a cup of coffee as long as hes going to play while hes here. Hes dominated every level with a very slight (one week) adjustment at AA...since then hes killed them. Most scouts were predicting a quick climb through the minors anyway, so this should be no surprise to those who followed Benintendi... Its not a glaring need (LF), but still a need for a regular. the fact that hes been taking reps and looking good in LF tells me theyre getting ready to call him up. Maybe itll be september or maybe sooner...either way, IMO were going to see him this year.

[mvp 78]

He needed more than a week to adjust. Plus, his bat has cooled off lately.

[cp176]

Nothing wrong with giving the kid a cup of coffee as long as hes going to play while hes here. Hes dominated every level with a very slight (one week) adjustment at AA...since then hes killed them. Most scouts were predicting a quick climb through the minors anyway, so this should be no surprise to those who followed Benintendi... Its not a glaring need (LF), but still a need for a regular. the fact that hes been taking reps and looking good in LF tells me theyre getting ready to call him up. Maybe itll be september or maybe sooner...either way, IMO were going to see him this year.

 

Neither he nor Moncada has dominated at the AA level. Regardless of what anyone thinks, moving him up right now would be done more for emotional rather than practical reasons. If I was told today that a healthy Swihart was going to be our left fielder going forward, that would work for me. Benintendi may become very good for us but right now he is just the new flavor of the day. i'm actually much more interested in what they are going to do with Chris Marrero.

[mvp 78]

Benintendi's OPS in AA is .808. Let's not act like this guy is ready for MLB pitching just yet or that he is producing the way Betts was at the same level.

[Kimmi]

Neither he nor Moncada has dominated at the AA level. Regardless of what anyone thinks, moving him up right now would be done more for emotional rather than practical reasons. If I was told today that a healthy Swihart was going to be our left fielder going forward, that would work for me. Benintendi may become very good for us but right now he is just the new flavor of the day. i'm actually much more interested in what they are going to do with Chris Marrero.

 

Bingo.

[Spudboy]

Neither he nor Moncada has dominated at the AA level. Regardless of what anyone thinks, moving him up right now would be done more for emotional rather than practical reasons. If I was told today that a healthy Swihart was going to be our left fielder going forward, that would work for me. Benintendi may become very good for us but right now he is just the new flavor of the day. i'm actually much more interested in what they are going to do with Chris Marrero.

 

Rational thoughts.

[Hugh2]

Moncada has done well at AA, although he does have a few yellow flags that suggest he should not be rushed anymore. He has not hit from the right side as well as he has from the left, and his K rate is up there.

 

I doubt anyone will be penciling in Moncada this year, we can revisit this in 2017.

[Dojji]

Rushing Benintendi because we don't know how to acquire a left fielder is not a solution, it's an admission of defeat.

[mvp 78]

Rushing Benintendi because we don't know how to acquire a left fielder is not a solution, it's an admission of defeat.

 

Acquiring a temporary replacement for LF, until Young comes back, is basically GM'ing 101. It should be easy to find a guy like that. Promoting Benintendi to do that is just a panic move, imo.

[a700hitter]

Acquiring a temporary replacement for LF, until Young comes back, is basically GM'ing 101. It should be easy to find a guy like that. Promoting Benintendi to do that is just a panic move, imo.

When is Young due back?

[mvp 78]

When is Young due back?

 

Due to our crack beat writers, there has been no mention of him for about a week since Farrell said that the team has “to be careful” with his rehab.

[a700hitter]

Due to our crack beat writers, there has been no mention of him for about a week since Farrell said that the team has “to be careful” with his rehab.

The cone of silence has descended over his rehab.

[moonslav59]

Rushing Benintendi because we don't know how to acquire a left fielder is not a solution, it's an admission of defeat.

 

Our team has had a good record acquiring journeymen/cheap OF'ers mid-season and off-season that have helped us out:

 

de Aza

Gomes & Cody Ross (maybe not that "cheap")

Nava

Podsednik

M Byrd

DMac

 

to name a few.

 

I agree, if Beni is not "ready", then find a cheap, experienced solution.

[oldtimer]

I look at the situation a little differently, in that we currently have 5 people capable of playing outfield on the team (Betts, Bradley, Holt, Matinez and Brentz). We are in a stretch of games that are very demanding and have Betts with a cranky knee. Neither Young or Swihart are likely to be back until mid August so in the interim we will need to rely on Brentz a journeyman and two utility players to fill the left field position and act as subs should we need to rest a starter. We can't afford to play with a weakened team with both Baltimore and Toronto playing good ball. Benintendi is a center fielder with good speed who could sub in at all three outfield positions. He likely has an adequate bat to develop into a starter next year. Would picking up a temporary left fielder now be as smart a move as just bringing Beni up?

 

The other consideration is that DD is no doubt discussing trade deals with other teams at this point and in particular looking for additional pitching. Who will he trade to gain that pitching. Is Swihart on the block? Is Holt? Is Beni? I hope not, but if some of these guys get traded then the argument about Beni can either be heightened or moot.