How 2021 Red Sox Transformation Could Start With Andrew Benintendi

Andrew Benintendi’s career trajectory is a perfect microcosm of the Boston Red Sox’s overall performance the past few seasons.

He peaked in 2018, building off a strong rookie campaign in 2017, before regressing in 2019 and hitting rock bottom in 2020.

As such, 2021 represents somewhat of a make-or-break season for the 26-year-old outfielder, who’s aiming to show he’s still very much part of Boston’s long-term core despite falling on tough times.

But what does the best version of Benintendi look like?

Obviously, based on the wide range of results to this point, it’s difficult to forecast what the future holds in terms of production. His ceiling seemingly is that of an All-Star, capable of impacting the game in a variety of ways, whereas his floor resembles that of someone who’s overmatched and fails to make good on the obvious talent he possesses.

For Benintendi to rebound, it could be as simple as adjusting his mentality, leaning more heavily on his excellent athleticism and diverse skill set than trying to become something he’s not.

“In ’19, talking to him, he tried to make some adjustments, as far as like probably hitting the ball in the air,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Thursday during a video conference. “You saw him, he became a little bit stronger. He wasn’t out of shape, actually. He was in great shape. But I think his mindset was a little bit different. And last year, talking to him, he never felt right in the batter’s box, although it was 50 something at-bats. But the swing and misses — we talked about it in ’19, we saw it in ’20. We need to find a balance between driving the ball and not swinging and missing.”

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Translation: Benintendi might have wanted to embrace the launch angle movement, in turn boosting his power numbers. But doing so to the detriment of what makes him a special talent compromises his overall potential, as well as the Red Sox’s overall potential.

“I’ll take the Andrew Benintendi, the complete player,” Cora said. “I don’t want Andrew to hit 45 — just say a number, 35, 40 home runs. It doesn’t matter. I want him to get on base, be fast on the base paths, steal bases, play better defense the way he played in October (2018). And if we get that guy back, we’re in a good position.”

Benintendi hit .271 with 20 home runs, 90 RBIs, a .776 OPS and 20 stolen bases in 2017 en route to a second-place finish in American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Aaron Judge. He had a 102 wRC+ and totaled 2.0 fWAR, respectable marks for a first-year player.

The arrow pointed upward. Even more so after a 2018 in which he batted .290 with 16 homers, 87 RBIs, an .830 OPS and 21 stolen bases, resulting in a 122 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR, which ranked ninth among all Major League Baseball outfielders.

But it’s been a grind ever since, culminating with a 2020 that saw Benintendi limited to just 52 plate appearances across 14 games before ultimately being shut down with a rib cage injury.

“I’m a big fan of Andrew,” Cora said. “At 7:05 or 7:35, I know he gives his best. But we need to get back to stay level in the strike zone, drive the ball all over the field, run around and be a complete player. I don’t want him to be one-dimensional.”

Benintendi was working on some things with his swing last season before going down with an injury, so perhaps he’ll see the fruits of his labor this season, provided he stays healthy. The real difference, however, could depend on Benintendi getting back to what made him successful in the first place, and then building off that foundation.

“When this kid got drafted, he was probably the best hitting prospect coming out of college,” Cora said. “And like I’ve always said, those first-rounders, they don’t get lucky. They’re good.

“I still believe Andrew Benintendi is a good player. I think Andrew Benintendi is an impactful player. And we’ve got to get him back to that mindset that he had in ’18 and even ’17.”

It might be hyperbolic to say the Red Sox’s identity is directly tied to the performance of Benintendi, seeing as Boston’s lineup is littered with upside and the club’s biggest deficiencies reside on the mound.

Still, Cora has expressed a desire to “get back to playing fast” in his second go-round as Red Sox manager, and that transformation very well could start with Benintendi.

“There’s a few guys that although they can hit the ball out of the ballpark, we can ask them to do other stuff in the batter’s box.” Cora said. ” … Playing fast is going first to third, scoring from first base, having better leads, advancing on dirt balls and trying to put pressure on the opposition. We’re not gonna be careless — one thing, for sure, we’re not gonna be giving outs away. But if the situation comes up and we do believe we can take advantage of the opposition in certain ways, we’ll do that.

“That also goes defensively. Defensively, we have to play fast. I watch a lot of the Padres games, the Dodgers, the Rays, even the Indians, and you can see them defensively, offensively, there’s a different pace of their game. And that’s something that we’re gonna try to get back to.”

Sometimes, you just need to reset before you move forward. And that could be true for both Benintendi and the Red Sox in 2021.