The Benintendi Thread

[Behindenemylines]

Benintendi has not looked over matched so far. The Sox brought him up because he became the best option in LF. His first test will come when pitchers make the adjustment on him. He might struggle and end up needing time at AAA, but for now he is the best option for LF. The kid does have a sweet swing and the blast to center that ended up being a double shows he has the power needed for a corner outfielder.

[a700hitter]

Is Young playing rehab games yet?

[oldtimer]

Ok - you are right - 95+% of us.

 

And who gets to determine when someone is officially READY?

 

As an aside, I don't remember anyone really saying that a platoon of Holt and Brentz was fine.

 

I for one am just happy that he is off to a good start. There are people on here who are trying to make it seem as though they were responsible for the move. Maybe they need a HUG or a PAT on the back. Do some of YOU really care who was right or who was wrong? Once again, anyone who follows the game and this team in particular saw this coming.

 

The management made the decision on Beni and it appears that it was justified although it is too early.

 

I didn't have to look hard to find one reference to thinking playing Holt instead of Benintendi would be fine. See DOJJI on 8/6, which reads:

 

"Since returning from his concussion Holt has a slash line of .284/.354/.446/.800 -- perfectly adequate. I'm not in a hurry to play Benintendi at the expense of Holt right now, the chance that he'll improve on a .800 OPS line at this stage in his career is substantially less than the chance of Holt continuing to play adequately."

 

We need to remember how the discussion went on the Benintendi call up when the next in line comes up. To me DD is doing the job quite well.

[Wade Boggs]

The talksox scout squad knows better broski.

 

I think DD said those comments before the trade deadline or leading up to it. He didn't want to sound desperate. They tried to get Beltran, but that wasn't going to happen. Then was called up in a couple of days.

[mvp 78]

Is Young playing rehab games yet?

 

Maybe today or tomorrow.

[a700hitter]

Maybe today or tomorrow.

He had better hit the lefties when he returns or the fans will be clamoring for Benintendi.

[mvp 78]

Exactly. My position was that I thought Beni was ready or very close to ready and "should be called up the second Sox management thinks he's ML ready".

 

To this point: I thought the Sox should bring Benintendi up when he was ready as well. However, there was no word out of the front office stating that they thought he would definitely be ready this year. I don't think anyone ever said "if he's ready, just put him in Pawtucket for shits and giggles." I think most people took what Dombrowski stated over and over again about not being sure about when Benintendi would be ready and decided that Benintendi would probably be brought up in September.

[cp176]

The management made the decision on Beni and it appears that it was justified although it is too early.

 

I didn't have to look hard to find one reference to thinking playing Holt instead of Benintendi would be fine. See DOJJI on 8/6, which reads:

 

"Since returning from his concussion Holt has a slash line of .284/.354/.446/.800 -- perfectly adequate. I'm not in a hurry to play Benintendi at the expense of Holt right now, the chance that he'll improve on a .800 OPS line at this stage in his career is substantially less than the chance of Holt continuing to play adequately."

 

We need to remember how the discussion went on the Benintendi call up when the next in line comes up. To me DD is doing the job quite well.

 

Sometimes the moves that don't get made are the best moves. They went after Beltran hard but the deal did not get done. It very well might work out to be a very good ideal. Please - Moon - if you are out there don't give me any statistics that you think justify not paying a premium price for a free agent. Not interested. What ever DD does with respect to this team very likely will work for me.

[mvp 78]

He had better hit the lefties when he returns or the fans will be clamoring for Benintendi.

 

I'd sit Papi against LHP right now and have Young DH.

[User Name]

or you could trust the judgement of...oh, i dont know...the Red Sox evaluators, FO, coaches that called him up???

 

But was that what really happened? That's what I'm questioning.

 

The Sox did not bring up Benintendi until after they struck out on Beltran. If it had not happened under those circumstances, I'd probably believe this assessment.

[User Name]

I think DD said those comments before the trade deadline or leading up to it. He didn't want to sound desperate. They tried to get Beltran, but that wasn't going to happen. Then was called up in a couple of days.

 

Benintendi would not be here had they gotten Beltran (and they thought they did). They promoted him as a reaction to the Beltran miss IMO.

[mvp 78]

But was that what really happened? That's what I'm questioning.

 

The Sox did not bring up Benintendi until after they struck out on Beltran. If it had not happened under those circumstances, I'd probably believe this assessment.

 

Why be in on Beltran if they planned on bringing Beni up? That's a good question. Maybe they thought he could be ready, but figured Beltran would be a stronger player in a playoff run? IDK.

[Bellhorn04]

He had better hit the lefties when he returns or the fans will be clamoring for Benintendi.

 

Young stinks.

[Bellhorn04]

Why be in on Beltran if they planned on bringing Beni up? That's a good question. Maybe they thought he could be ready, but figured Beltran would be a stronger player in a playoff run? IDK.

 

Beltran Plan A Beni Plan B ?

[cp176]

Benintendi would not be here had they gotten Beltran (and they thought they did). They promoted him as a reaction to the Beltran miss IMO.

 

i think it is a damn good thing that DD read the talksox forum board before he inked that Beltran deal. We got a couple of beauties here who think they have a pipeline right to his office don't you think. lol

[SoxnCycles]

Beltran Plan A Beni Plan B ?

 

Makes sense.

[Behindenemylines]

Benintendi would not be here had they gotten Beltran (and they thought they did). They promoted him as a reaction to the Beltran miss IMO.

 

Like I said Benintendi became the best option in LF with all of the injuries and the Sox not getting a OF at the deadline.

[mvp 78]

Beltran Plan A Beni Plan B ?

 

That's what it seems like? Maybe some sort of platoon with Beni in LF and Papi at DH?

[Slasher9]

But was that what really happened? That's what I'm questioning.

 

The Sox did not bring up Benintendi until after they struck out on Beltran. If it had not happened under those circumstances, I'd probably believe this assessment.

 

no one is blaming them for trying to get a "proven veteran" first. but that doesnt mean that plan B has to equate to panic move either. it might just be plan B...

[Slasher9]

Beltran Plan A Beni Plan B ?

 

jinx!

[Slasher9]

i think it is a damn good thing that DD read the talksox forum board before he inked that Beltran deal. We got a couple of beauties here who think they have a pipeline right to his office don't you think. lol

 

there were a few writers on the previous Forum so who knows...maybe DD does poke around from time to time.

[mvp 78]

no one is blaming them for trying to get a "proven veteran" first. but that doesnt mean that plan B has to equate to panic move either. it might just be plan B...

 

Panic Move A or Panic Move B?

[Slasher9]

Panic Move A or Panic Move B?

 

i really dont think either. i think we were trying to improve a "weakness". mostly due to injury. but i dont think i would use the word "panic". but thats just my opinion.

[mvp 78]

i really dont think either. i think we were trying to improve a "weakness". mostly due to injury. but i dont think i would use the word "panic". but thats just my opinion.

 

My opinion, which is HIGHLY regarded on here, is that Panic Move is a wonderfully silly condemnation of a move that you may not like.

[cp176]

no one is blaming them for trying to get a "proven veteran" first. but that doesnt mean that plan B has to equate to panic move either. it might just be plan B...

 

It is probably a safe bet to say that he doesn't check in with us very often. With that being said we have some people recently posting here who appear to have egos the size of the original Louisiana Purchase, so it wouldn't surprise me if they thought he was listening to them. The next time I talk to him, I'll let him know where he can find answers to all of his issues.lol

[moonslav59]

For all intents and purposes, the Red Sox brass had indicated Benintendi was a September callup. You were ridiculed because the idea of bringing him up before that out of desperation was stupid and might blow up in their faces, and that's still the point.

 

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

 

I've got my fingers crossed that Benintendi doesn't become another Conforto or WMB.

 

Once again, you are constructing a strawman. It seems to be a habit of yours.

 

I never said I wanted him called up. I said, "the second Sox management determined he is ready, then call him up."

 

I never pretended to know more than Sox management, or said they were wrong not calling him up earlier, so stop misrepresenting my position.

[User Name]

Do you actually know what a strawman is?

[moonslav59]

To this point: I thought the Sox should bring Benintendi up when he was ready as well. However, there was no word out of the front office stating that they thought he would definitely be ready this year. I don't think anyone ever said "if he's ready, just put him in Pawtucket for shits and giggles." I think most people took what Dombrowski stated over and over again about not being sure about when Benintendi would be ready and decided that Benintendi would probably be brought up in September.

 

I thought it would be September too, mostly due to team control years issues.

 

It's a thin line on determining who is "ready" or :not ready". It seems silly to me that just a few more days can determine readiness.

 

Certainly the poor play of our LF'ers might have been a significant factor, but I am pretty certain, Sox management felt Beni was "ready" or close enough to be ready that it was worth calling him up. The point is, Sox management felt he was ready or "close enough" (very close), which was the position I held.

 

I'm not big into the whole "don't hurt a young kid's fragile ego" argument for most prospects, and I also don't buy into determining whether someone was called up to early or not based on a tiny sample size out of the gate.

 

Players struggle and slump all the time--maybe for no reason at all. Players take time to adjust to a new level no matter what age or experience level they may be. I'm not saying that more experience in the minors does not help most players with adjusting, but there are times when someone comes along that just defies the norm. Fred Lynn was called up the year after he was drafted. Granted, countless examples are out there of players who did not adjust quickly enough after short stints in the minors, and I'm not gloating over Beni's very tiny sample size of success. He could easily go o for his next 22. I won't judge the success or failure of this move on small sample sizes.

 

I liked the move. I felt Beni was "close enough" for a while, and I trust Sox management to know when ready is "ready".

[moonslav59]

Do you actually know what a strawman is?

 

Yes, we went through this the last time you constructed a false narrative by misrepresenting my position and then arguing against a "strawman" and acting like he was me.

[User Name]

Yes, we went through this the last time you constructed a false narrative by misrepresenting my position and then arguing against a "strawman" and acting like he was me.

 

You were still wrong, you are still wrong, and this isn't strictly an "A and B" type conversation, as you can see from the number of posters participating in it.

 

But in your specific case, you've been pounding your chest about being "right" that they called him up because he was ready. Some of us posit he was called up because they were desperate after whiffing on Beltran. What is the misconstrued argument here?