Benintendi focused on giving White Sox their money's worth
After arriving at Guaranteed Rate Field Wednesday morning, slipping on his new uniform (No. 23) and meeting with the media, new White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi was asked about being the highest-paid player in franchise history.
"The way I approach it is, it doesn't matter what the number is," Benintendi said of his five-year, $75 million contract. "It's about winning games. It's about playing hard. No one really cares if you don't win games. In the end, it's all about winning and being a good teammate."
As the Royals' bench coach, new Sox manager Pedro Grifol was with Benintendi in Kansas City in 2021 and for the first four months of last season.
Grifol has no doubts the 28-year-old newcomer can help the White Sox win games while adding a positive presence in the clubhouse.
"He's a very versatile player," Grifol said. "Obviously, he's a left fielder but he's a very versatile player as far as where we hit him in the lineup. He's done everything in the game, he hits for average, he has hit for power, he runs the bases well. He fits really well with what we're trying to do here."
A Gold Glover with the Royals in 2021, Benintendi is an instant upgrade on a Sox team that has been shaky on defense.
"It's something you don't appreciate when you're younger," said Benintendi, who was traded from the Royals to the Yankees last July. "You go out there only worried about your at-bats and sometimes you take your at-bats into left field or where you're playing. But for me, it's something I've taken a lot more ownership of and more pride in.
"Taking better routes and getting quicker jumps is something I've focused on the last two years, especially playing in a bigger outfield (in Kansas City). It's something I've focused on and taken pride in. It's something I will keep working at."
As for his offense, the left-hander ranked sixth in the American League with a combined .304 batting average last season. Benintendi also ranked eighth with a .373 on-base percentage.
On the flip side, he hit only 5 home runs in 126 games with the Royals and Yankees.
"I think it's definitely a power-based game now, where it's how many homers can you hit because obviously it leads to more runs, more RBI, things like that," Benintendi said. "But in the end, I'm 5-(foot)-9, 175 pounds, I'm not going to be running out 30 homers. But I think the more I've played, the more I learn of my myself as a player and I think I can hit for more power. And I think that just playing in this stadium now, there will be more (home runs) just because the dimensions are different.
"But I think I help the team the most when I get on base the most and let guys drive me in. So that's what I'm really going for."
The White Sox were high on Benintendi during the 2015 draft and likely would have landed him with the No. 8 overall pick.
The Red Sox took Benintendi with the No. 7 pick, but the White Sox countered by quickly pursuing the 2022 all-star in free agency.
"The thing for me is that from day one in the offseason, there was communication," Benintendi said. "There was constant interest throughout the entire process. I was talking about it with (Grifol) and (general manager) Rick (Hahn) and the rest of the front office. So glad to be here. It's good to be with a team that wanted me from Day 1."