In second season with White Sox, Benintendi has plenty to prove
It happens every spring.
MLB teams given little or no chance at making the playoffs report to training camp and use the neglect as motivation.
The White Sox definitely fall into that category after losing 101 games in 2023. They have plenty of new players and a general manager (Chris Getz) heading into his first full season.
One of the holdovers, Andrew Benintendi, isn't coming out and predicting the Sox are going to make the playoffs this year. But the left fielder does see better days ahead.
“It’s more we know what we can do,” Benintendi said. “The potential in there is extremely high. And honestly, we are in a division that is pretty winnable for any team. It all comes down to staying healthy and playing to our potential. It’s one thing to say and another thing to do.”
Getz is hoping a roster full of players with something to prove bands together and makes some noise in the AL Central, a division that features one quality team in the Twins and four others — the White Sox, Guardians, Tigers and Royals — with low expectations.
Benintendi is hoping to show he's a player worthy of the five-year, $75 million contract he signed with the Sox in December of 2022.
Last year, Benintendi hit .262/.326/.356 with 5 home runs and 45 RBI in 151 games.
The White Sox were hoping he'd show some power, but the 29-year-old outfielder didn't hit his first homer until June 16.
“Obviously, last year wasn’t the best year for me,” Benintendi said. “I dealt with some things throughout the year that may have hindered some things. But I'm feeling good now, looking forward to getting back out there and winning baseball games.”
Playing for the Yankees late in the 2022 season, Benintendi broke a bone in his right hand and the injury lingered well into his debut year with the Sox.
“He wasn’t that healthy last year,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “He had that hand thing that kind of hurt him in the off-season where he couldn’t lift that much. He came in a little light. He tried to do it through the year, but he still had the hand thing.”
Over the winter, Benintendi finally felt good enough to train harder and add some needed muscle. That should be enough to boost his numbers this season but like he said, the proof is in the performance.
“I definitely feel good,” Benintendi said. “I think this was one of my best offseasons, as far as working out and getting stronger. We’ll see how it translates, hopefully it does.”
Even though he was less than 100% last year, Benintendi was second on the Sox in games played. When he needs a break this season, Kevin Pillar is the likely backup.
A nonroster invite to spring training after signing a minor-league contract with the Sox on Feb. 2, Pillar is an 11-year veteran and had 21 home runs and 87 RBI over 156 games with the Giants in 2019.
Last season, the 35-year-old Pillar slashed .228/.248/.416 with 9 homers and 32 RBI in 81 games with the Braves.