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Inside the Red Sox’s decision to call up outfield phenom Andrew Benintendi
- Updated: August 2, 2016
3:17 AM ET
SEATTLE — Once the 10 Boston Red Sox officials who traveled with the team to Southern California last week agreed it wasn’t in their best interest to trade top prospect Andrew Benintendi — not even for Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale — there was really only one question left to be asked: When, exactly, should they call up the 22-year-old outfield phenom?
The answer: Tuesday.
Too soon? Maybe.
Benintendi was drafted just last year and has played only 151 games in the minors, none above the Double-A level. He has 237 at-bats at Double-A Portland, eight more than center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. when he made the leap to the big leagues out of spring training in 2013. Three years later, there isn’t a member of the Red Sox baseball operations staff who would deny that Bradley was rushed.
But the Sox didn’t mindlessly decide to call up Benintendi on Tuesday. They had considerable discussion over the weekend, weighing pros and cons and seeking input from their top scouts. And they also compared Benintendi’s development over the past 13 months to New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto and Chicago Cubs catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber, both of whom made their major-league debuts one year after being drafted in the first round out of high-profile college programs.
Andrew Benintendi hasn’t had many at-bats in the minor leagues, but the Red Sox’s brass think last year’s first-rounder is ready for the majors. Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire
“Our people kept coming up and saying, ‘We think we can play at the big-league level and we think he’s ready,'” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday night after a 2-1 victory on Mookie Betts’ ninth-inning solo homer against Seattle Mariners closer Steve Cishek. “It really came down to, we think he can come up here and contribute to the club and help us win. And that’s important at this time.”
Based strictly on his talent, Benintendi is ready for this. He’s batting .312 with 31 doubles, 12 triples, nine homers, 16 stolen bases, 39 …
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