Jessica Kleinschmidt
4. Andrew Benintendi, outfielder, Boston Red Sox
We don’t have to sit here all day and talk about how great Andrew Benintendi is, but we can spend a fraction of the 24 hours we are given in a day babbling about him.
When the 22-year-old made his major league debut in 2016, he seemed to be a natural. In 118 plate appearances, he slashed a .295/.359/.476 line with 31 hits. He struggled when it came to strikeouts, but as a rookie, you kind of anticipate that.
This season, he’s knocked off seven percent from that strikeout rate. He’s also slashing a .325/.385/.500 line with five home runs and 20 RBI.
I spoke to Jared Carrabis of CSN New England, and he said Benintendi is a major reason behind the Red Sox having success in 2017.
“You’re talking about a player who skipped Triple-A entirely and was on a big league roster the year after he was drafted. Clearly a special player when you have that distinction to start your major league career.”
We expect big things from this youngster in the future.
