Andrew Benintendi Emerging As Key Contributor At The Top Of The White Sox Lineup

In May, White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said that it is hard to appreciate everything that Andrew Benintendi adds to the lineup on a daily basis until you see his full body of work at the end of the season. 

"We're not going to really, really appreciate everything he can do until Game 162, and then everybody's going to see how much he really brings to the table,” Grifol told reporters after Benintendi’s walk-off single on May 2nd. 

Those words are beginning to ring true, and it was on full display this weekend. 

On Friday, he went 2-for-4 with two doubles. On Saturday, he went 3-for-4 with a single in the fifth inning that had an exit velocity of 97.1  mph, which is significant for a player who has an average exit velocity in the 19th percentile and a hard hit percentage that is in the bottom seven percent in the league. 

He saved his biggest performance for the series finale going 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored. Benintendi’s double came at a critical time in the game. With two outs in the fifth inning and the White Sox only leading by a run, his RBI helped shoot the White Sox win probability up to 81.4 percent, which turned out to be a 12.5 percent swing according to StatCast. He even managed to advance to third on the play with some heads-up baserunning. When the dust settled, Benintendi had multiple hits in all three games and did not strike out once. 

For Red Sox fans, this came as no surprise. Benintendi spent his first five MLB seasons in Boston, which included a World Series championship run in 2018. During his time in Boston, Benintendi had a knack for big moments, slashing .272/.322/.407 in the postseason with 18 runs scored, nine RBIs,  five doubles, and a pair of homers. 

But for White Sox fans who expected a lot from the highest-paid player in franchise history, his numbers look unremarkable. He only has one home run, and the Gold Glove defense that was advertised has hovered below average for most of the season. 

However, when you take a step back, Benintendi is not only living up to the five-year $75 million contract he received in January, he is turning into one of the more valuable pieces in the White Sox lineup. 

With Tim Anderson struggling, Benintendi has served as the table setter. In his first 31 at-bats from the leadoff spot, the 28-year-old hit .419 (13-for-31). 

Meanwhile, his 14.4 strikeout rate is not only the lowest of his career, but it is also in the top 89th percentile of all MLB hitters. As mentioned before, he isn’t hitting the ball hard but he makes up for it by getting on base. Despite having an average exit velocity of 87.3 mph, he has an expected batting average in the top 78th percentile. He also leads the White Sox in batting average (.286), on-base percentage (.349) and is second on the team in walks (24).  

On top of that, he has been clutch for the White Sox. In high-leverage situations, he is slashing .417/.544/.500, which is good enough for a 1.044 OPS. There is no denying that Benintendi got off to a slow start to the season, but something has clicked since moving to the leadoff spot. In his last 15 games, he is batting .364/.435/.509. 

He is going to need to drive the ball a bit more consistently for this success to be sustainable, but in the meantime, he is making it work and still finding ways to make an impact.