It’s not fair to choose a player based on two games, but in a 60-game season, two performances outside basically equals one bad week.
And that brings us to Andrew Benintendi.
The leader of the Red Sox has consistently exceeded expectations since the 2018 All-Star break. He hit the midpoint hitting .297 with 14 home runs and 17 steals. If he had stayed on that trajectory, the third 30-30 season in Red Sox history would have been a possibility, albeit a remote one.
Instead, he went the other way, homing only twice and stealing four bases in the second half, his OPS dropped from .897 to .727. Meh’s numbers continued last year, when he hit .266 with 13 home runs and a .774 OPS, forcing us to reconsider his ceiling. Maybe he wasn’t a future All-Star and hitting champion, after all.
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This year was supposed to be different. Benintendi has just turned 26 and is entering its fifth season. He was one of the most prominent artists of the Spring 2.0 practice, hit the ball with authority and garnered rave reviews from manager Ron Roenicke, who left him in the lead despite Benintendi’s struggles there last year.
Roenicke even gave Benintendi the start against left-hander Tommy Milone on opening day, choosing instead left-handed right fielder Alex Verdugo in favor of veteran Kevin Pillar. The Red Sox hit 17 hits in their 13-2 victory. None of them belonged to Benintendi, although they did walk and score twice.
On Saturday against the Orioles, Benintendi earned the start against right-hander Alex Cobb, and the results were worse. She went from 0 to 5 and struck out twice, including the start of the first inning. He hit the ball hard once, lining up third in a 7-2 loss.
He now has 0 of 9 with four strikeouts, two roles, and two harmless flyballs. With every three games in this truncated season worth eight games in a regular one, Benintendi will not be allowed to fight at home for a long time, especially with second baseman José Peraza delivering four hits on Friday and Verdugo debuting with three hits and A couple of aggressive baserunning plays on Saturday.
Baseball is not a game meant to be judged in two days – the season has been called a marathon almost since Abner Doubleday introduced his first diamond, but 2020 is obviously different. With eight playoff qualifying clubs in each league, the final places will almost certainly be determined by no more than a couple of games.
Difficult players will quickly find themselves under the spotlight, and Benintendi is not alone. Rafael Devers is also hitless after striking out four times on Saturday. But unlike Devers, who already has a monster season under his belt, Benintendi remains in trial mode.
“I think you always push, especially at the beginning of the season,” said Roenicke. “These guys were swinging the bat well in the preseason, especially Benny, but Devers too. And then you start the season and you think you’re going to go out there and keep getting a lot of hits and then all of a sudden you get past the first game with no hits and start to push a little bit trying to get that first hit.
“Once they get them, I think they will relax and be the hitters we know. But when you push, you chase balls out of the area.”
Roenicke added that “Benny will be fine,” citing his lineout as a good sign. While it feels ridiculous to call a player this early, it’s also the reality of the 60-game sprint, especially on a team that has four starting caliber outfielders.
Produce right away or risk giving someone else that opportunity instead.
