Andrew Benintendi Needs More Development Before MLB Consideration

By: Forrest Mulheron

The best Red Sox prospect since Dustin Pedroia? Let's not get ahead of ourselves. 

Despite being the third quickest Red Sox prospect behind Pedroia and Jackie Bradley Jr. to earn his Double-A promotion, any talk of Andrew Benintendi reaching the big leagues this season is premature. 

Benintendi was promoted to Double-A Portland last week, the fourth level of professional baseball he has reached since being drafted by Boston seventh overall not even a full year ago. While fans have every reason to be excited after he hit .316/.406/.543 with 12 home runs and 65 RBIs through his first 92 professional games, Double-A is where many players begin to face their first adversity and Benintendi should be no different. 

The 21-year old Cincinnati-native has gone hitless in three of his first four Double-A contests after failing to collect a base knock in only six of 34 games with Salem. In fact, his 2-for-15 slump since joining the Sea Dogs is the worst of his young career since going 0-for-15 over five games with the Lowell Spinners shortly after being drafted last July.

That is no reason for Red Sox fans to panic, however.

It is no secret that baseball is a game of adjustments and this will serve as the perfect opportunity for Benintendi to demonstrate that he can make the changes needed to become a success Major League ball player. It makes far more sense for Benintendi to work through this struggles at the Minor League level rather than under the bright lights of Fenway Park where young players can easily have their confidence shattered (see Cla Meredith in 2005.)

It would be one thing if the Red Sox were playing poorly or riddled with injuries. However, even with Brock Holt on the 7-day disabled list due to concussion symptoms, Boston still has plenty of options such as Blake Swihart, Chris Young, Rusney Castillo or even Bryce Brentz. They might not be the best outfield options in the game, but with the Red Sox leading or near the top in every offensive category in the American League there is absolutely no need to rush any sort of roster move. 

Expect Benintendi to heat up as spring turns to summer and the weather warms up. He has already shown that the leap from college to professional baseball was no issue for him (noting that the change from metal to wooden bats was his biggest challenge) and with a little time the leap from Single-A to Double-A should be no different. 

But with the Red Sox playing well and having plenty of outfield depth to hold them over this season, there is no reason to rush Benintendi to the majors - let the young man finish his development and fine tune the skills that will hopefully make him a Major League superstar for years to come. 

When Can We Start Worrying About David Price?

After allowing six runs in back-to-back starts against the New York Yankees, many Red Sox fans are left asking the same question - when can we start worrying about David Price? 

Historically, Price has been a slow starter as evidenced by his 4.08 ERA in the months of March and April versus a 2.99 ERA for all other months combined. What has been most alarming for Sox fans, however, is an overall lack of command and velocity.

Price's fastball barely touched 93 MPH on Saturday, a big difference from the 95-96 MPH fans were expecting when the Red Sox inked the southpaw to a $217 million contract. The dip in velocity has allowed opponents to take better advantage of his mistakes leading to an increase in hard contact as well as walks. Price's 2.9 BB/9 ratio is his highest since 2010 and his 1.379 WHIP is the highest of his career.

“I feel like the more velocity that you have, the more mistakes you get away with,” Price stated after the game. “Right now, I’m not getting away with mistakes or good pitches, for that matter. That’s part of it. They hit some good pitches today.”

Although both Price and Red Sox manager John Farrell have said that physically there is nothing wrong, one can't help but wonder what is causing such a drastic change. Sure it is early in the season, but according to RedSoxStats.com his hardest thrown fastball of 93.54 MPH yesterday was the lowest in a game in his entire career. 

Pitching coach Carl Willis hinted that perhaps the velocity will return, as it is common for power pitchers to get better as the year goes on and the weather warms up. Price's average game-time temperature has been 55.14 degrees, which isn't exactly ideal but doesn't explain such a huge loss in velocity, either.

“[The difference] is something I’ve got to figure out," Price explained. "That’s something I definitely take pride in and feel like I’ve done extremely well throughout my career - being able to make adjustments on the fly, whether it’s pitch-to-pitch or game-to-game or day-to-day."

Red Sox fans can only hope Price can make those adjustments and get back to the dominance he built his reputation on. After back-to-back losses to the Yankees and some glaring red flags from a physical stand point, fans have every right to be worried.

Hernandez Solid in Major League Debut

Marco Hernandez arrived at the ballpark on Sunday afternoon like any normal day except one noticeable difference - his name was in a Major League lineup for the first time in his career.

Ranked the Red Sox' #9 prospect by New England Diamond Digest, the 23-year old Hernandez made the most of that opportunity by putting up a highly impressive performance on a day in which Toronto Blue Jay's starter, Aaron Sanchez, was absolutely dealing.

After drawing a walk in his first at-bat, Hernandez was able to break up Sanchez's no-hit bid in the fifth with a broken-bat single for his first Major League hit. After following that with his first career steal, Mookie Betts drove him in with an RBI single for his first career run scored.

That run would be the only Red Sox offense until a Travis Shaw home run in the bottom of the ninth inning cut Toronto's lead to 5-3. Hernandez was in the on-deck circle as Ryan Hanigan lined out to third base to end the contest.

Despite the fact Hernandez hit .579/.577/.792/1.369 with six doubles and seven RBIs in 14 games during Spring Training, he was still surprised to get the call to the show so early in the season.

"I expected [the call] middle of July when they play against the National League to pinch-hit for the pitcher," Hernandez told reporters after the game.

Nonetheless, his performance on Sunday was enough to impress even the battle-tested veterans in the Red Sox' lineup.

"He did an excellent job for us," advised Xander Bogaerts. "He looked solid offensively, defensively, [he] ran the bases well [and] created a run for us."

Hernandez was largely unnoticed by fans after the Red Sox acquired him as the player-to-be-named-later in the Felix Doubront deal with the Chicago Cubs, but began to pop up on many people's radar screens after an impressive start to the 2015 season with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs where he hit .326/.349/.482 with  five home runs, four triples and 21 doubles in 68 games.

That was good enough to earn Hernandez Eastern League All-Star honors, in which he was voted "Top Star" of the 2015 EL All-Star Classic at Hadlock Field.

Immediately after the All-Star game Hernandez was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket where he cooled off slightly, but was still impressive considering his age and fast climb through the Minor League ranks. In 46 games for the PawSox last season, Hernandez hit .271/.300/.409 with four homers and 22 RBIs.

He began this season with Pawtucket hitting .286/.375/.429 in six games before earning his promotion to Boston.

Although it may be too early to call Hernandez a superstar in the making, he does possess the tools necessary to become an effective Major League player. With speed on the base paths and the versatility to play multiple infield positions, Red Sox fans may be hearing a lot more of his name in the future.

Vazquez Called to Majors, Swihart Optioned to Triple-A

According to Jon Morosi, the Boston Red Sox have promoted Christian Vazquez to the Major League club while optioning Blake Swihart to Triple-A Pawtucket.

It has been widely speculated that this move would be made as soon as Vazquez was healthy to return, large in part due to Swihart's struggles defensively so far this season.

Many forget that the catching job was Vazquez's to lose last season until undergoing season ending Tommy John surgery. Although he does not posses the same offensive skills as Swihart (Vazquez hit only .240/.308/.309 in 55 games for the Red Sox in 2014), Vazquez has been heralded as a great game caller and has one of the strongest arms in the league (caught 52% of attempted base stealers in 2014). The Red Sox hope the move will help add some stability to a starting rotation that has struggled to go deep into games.

Swihart has showed promise with the bat hitting .275/.324/.386 over his first 90 Major League games, but at this point it is evident the 24 year old needs more seasoning in Pawtucket before managing a big league rotation.

Christian Vazquez Ready for the Show

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What was once his job could easily become his job once again relatively soon.

Tommy John Surgery may have set Christian Vazquez back. But it appears as though he is ready to catch in the majors once again.

The Red Sox optioned Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo to Triple-A Pawtucket and calling up Vazquez appears to be the corresponding move.

In cold Pawtucket weather over the weekend, Vazquez gave the impression that he feels as though he is healthy and ready to go.

“I’m feeling good man.” he said. “I’m feeling great, on time and I’m seeing the ball well. I’m having some good swings.”

At the plate, the defensive-minded catcher said he was not trying to do too much other than make sure his timing is down. And with a new high leg kick, Vazquez has strung together quality plate appearances. He posted a .650 on-base percentage in five Triple-A games, drawing seven walks in 20 plate appearances. It could be a sign that he has improved at the plate, keeping in mind he posted just a .617 OPS in 55 MLB games in 2014.

It may be a positive sign for him to be hitting pro pitching and drawing walks in a small sample size, but he is a catcher and hitting is secondary for catchers.

Vazquez probably is not going to see the workload the Red Sox gave Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the summer months of 2013, especially with the catching depth they possess. But Vazquez said his body feels great. He also appeared slimmer and mentioned losing about 25 pounds in the offseason.

In Pawtucket, Vazquez took full advantage of working in a low pressure environment.

“I’m working on everything,” he said. “My catching, my arm, my hitting stuff. Overall, I’m working on everything.”

With Ryan Hanigan and Blake Swihart already on the big league roster, a position battle between Vazquez and Swihart will surely ensue. The Red Sox are 29-24 in Hanigan’s starts since the start of 2015 and Swihart has struggled to command the pitching staff.

Regardless of what comes of it, the Red Sox have an opportunity right now to keep all of their catchers fresh.

Is it Time to Fire John Farrell?

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John Farrell has made several questionable decisions in his time as Red Sox' manager (from starting an injured Shane Victorino over Rusney Castillo last season to bringing Franklin Morales and his 27.00 postseason ERA into a crucial spot in the sixth game of the 2013 ALCS) but few have been more puzzling than today's.

Many Sox fans were confused to see Chris Young's name in the lineup today against the right handed Marco Estrada (Young hit .182 against righties last year and only .224 for his career) while the hot-hitting Brock Holt and $11 million man Rusney Castillo were left on the bench.

It has been rumored that Holt was given the day off to recover from a foul ball he hit off his ankle in a previous game, but that doesn't explain why Castillo, who had two hits including a double in his season debut, was left on the bench.

It was announced earlier in the year that Young would get the majority of his cuts against left handed pitching, which considering his career average against lefties is 40 points higher then righties (still not that impressive at .264) seemed to make sense.

Yet here we are in the fifth game of the season and Young is out there looking foolish against Estrada while Castillo can't seem to catch a break with the Sox no matter how well he plays. Without any playing time, let alone consistent playing time, how can anyone expect Castillo to become a dependable Major League player?

Some have reasoned that because the Red Sox have faced a slug of right handed pitching that Farrell needed to get Young some game action. Is getting the fourth outfielder some game action really worth putting out a sub-par lineup against a division rival and the team most people think will win the American League East? I hardly think so.

It may be early in the season, but it is time to take a long hard look at Farrell and his future with the organization before we become mired in third straight last place season. Outside of 2013 (and let's be honest, anyone could have managed that team to a World Series championship) Farrell has done little to impress anyone during his time as Boston's manager.

It's not like he accomplished much in Toronto, either, posting a 154-170 record (.475 winning percentage) in his time there and missed the playoffs both seasons.

After it was announced last season that Farrell would be taking a leave of absence due to a cancer diagnosis, bench coach Torey Lovullo stepped up in an interim basis and led the team to a 28-21 record over their final 49 games. Lovullo's impressive performance earned him numerous offers to leave Boston over the offseason, but he remained loyal to the team and returned as the bench coach for this season.

I do respect Farrell, what he accomplished in 2013 and what he has done to return from cancer - but it is time to start holding him accountable for his poor decision making on the field. One more questionable decision like today's and the Sox really ought to consider promoting Lovullo back to the managerial position before it's too late.

Why Starting David Price at Home on Monday is the Right Decision

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There has been plenty of debate surrounding the decision to bump David Price's second start of the season from Sunday against the Blue Jays to the home opener on Monday against the Orioles - but rest assured, the Red Sox did their homework and have made the right decision. 

The decision was made last Thursday after that night's game against the Cleveland Indians was postponed due to inclement weather, and it didn't take long for people to start questioning the Red Sox' thought process.

There were many valid reasons to question the decision to bump Price up a day - the fact many people believe that Toronto is the best team in the division, Price's 11-1 record and 3.34 ERA at Rogers Center, or simply the fact the Red Sox stated at the beginning of the season they would attempt to keep the lefty pitching every fifth day even when an off day allows for extra rest.

However, a quick crunching of some numbers shows the Red Sox' decision makes a lot of sense.

Baltimore may not be everyone's favorite pick to win the division, but they are hardly a team to overlook with a lineup that includes Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo and Matt Wieters. They are also just a single season removed from a division title and have historically always played the Red Sox tough (Boston is 24-33 against Baltimore since the start of 2013).

Add to that the fact that the Red Sox actually won the season series against the AL East Champion Blue Jays last season (10 games to 9) with one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball - starting Price at home seems to be the smarter decision.

After going just 43-38 at home last season, there is also plenty of reason that the Red Sox would want to get out to a quick start in Boston. In the three years since 2004 that the Red Sox have won the World Series, they have never posted less than 51 wins at home (55-26 in 2004, 51-30 in 2007 and 53-28 in 2013).

Starting Price on Monday also lines the lefty up favorably for the remainder of April and the month of May if the Red Sox choose to stick with their plan to start him every fifth day as opposed to every fifth game (barring any unforeseen circumstances).

On the every fifth day rotation, Price would be lined up to make his first start after the home opener next Saturday against the Blue Jays. He would then face the Tampa Bay Rays on April 21, the Atlanta Braves on April 26th before making back-to-back starts against the rival New York Yankees on May 1st and 6th. It would also line him up to pitch against the defending World Series Champion Royals in Kansas City on May 16th.

Despite the fact there were many valid reasons to start Price in Toronto this afternoon, a quick bit of research shows that the Red Sox absolutely made the correct decision. Now that the Red Sox have already won the series against the Blue Jays by taking the first two games, Red Sox fans can sit back and celebrate the first home start with their newly acquired ace pitcher.