Red Sox Prospect Watch: Minor League Baseball starts
By Mike El-Far
Boston Red Sox
As of last night’s game, Andrew Benintendi is no longer a prospect. Having passed 130 MLB at-bats against the Baltimore Orioles, Benny Baseball is now considered just a rookie. But after seeing him play this last week, I have to shed some light on something.
If you have been keeping up with the team, you know how the flu has ravaged Boston. Hanley Ramirez didn’t travel with the team for the weekend series in Detroit and was quarantined in Boston. Many players have been ill, including Benintendi. Surprisingly, he missed 0 games due to the flu. If you had any reservations on what type of player he is, hopefully this tweet changes your mind.
Flu update: Andrew Benintendi was throwing up during the sixth inning, John Farrell said.
— Brian MacPherson (@brianmacp) April 8, 2017
As soon as I saw this, I drew the comparison to one current player on this roster: Dustin Pedroia. If anyone would throw up in the middle of a game and come back out ready to go, it would be Pedey. I, for one, cannot wait to see these two guys being tough as nails for the next 5 years together.
Another prospect who got the call to come to Boston was Marco Hernandez. A top 10 prospect in the system, he joined the team after Xander Bogaerts and Matt Barnes both were placed on the bereavement list. I have been on the Hernandez bandwagon for a while, and thought he should have made the team over Steve Selsky. It seems like Hernandez is keeping the roster spot until Jackie Bradley Jr. comes off the DL, at least.
When JBJ comes off the DL, John Farrell will have to decide who gets sent down between Selsky and Hernandez. Personally, I think keeping someone who is a below league average outfielder over someone who could play 5 positions is a little crazy. But then again, I’m just someone who writes about a team.