Red Sox Draft Power-Hitting OF Andrew Benintendi
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— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 4, 2015
Meet Andrew Benintendi the spark behind #OmaHogs Baseball!http://t.co/xeSyFtS6WZ pic.twitter.com/kkdYQvcyvY
“We hope to get a good player,” said Boston Red Sox scouting director Mike Rikard ahead of the 2015 MLB Draft. A good player with the potential to be great is what they nabbed Monday night.
With the number seven overall selection in the draft, the Red Sox added a power-hitting outfielder to their organization. The club selected Andrew Benintendi out of the University of Arkansas. The draft-eligible sophomore climbed to the top of the draft board after being named Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of the Year in 2015.
Benintendi, 20, roamed centerfield for the Razorbacks this past season. The left-handed hitter was also named SEC Player of the Year for 2015. The soon to be 21-year-old slugged 19 homers, hit a staggering .390 and stole 22 bases. His 19 homers were good for most in all of NCAA baseball.
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His rare combination of offensive power and speed certainly played a gigantic role in his ascension to the top of the draft.
According to MLB.com, Benintendi’s ability to hit, run and field is considered to be above average at this point in his collegiate career. MLB.com compared Benintendi to outfielder Jon Jay of the St. Louis Cardinals, only with more power and more speed.
Keith Law ranked Benintendi as the number 21 ranked prospect on his Top 100 Draft Prospects list. He even projected him as a top 10 draft selection. Other baseball scouts applaud Benintendi’s speed, saying he possesses enough of it to develop his game in center field moving forward.
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The Red Sox do not have a draft pick in the second round. They were forced to surrender the pick after signing free agent Pablo Sandoval this past winter. Signing Hanley Ramirez cost them another pick as well.
Other notable outfielders taken in the first round of the draft by the Red Sox over the years have been Trot Nixon, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jim Rice. Clay Buchholz, Mo Vaughn and Nomar Garciaparra were also first-round selections.