On the Benny trade

Baseball Insider Board
#1

From The Athletic:

The 26-year-old has played five seasons in the big leagues. He won a World Series in 2018. And in college at Arkansas he won the Golden Spikes Award. That’s the historical context.

More recently in 2020, Benintendi struggled. He played in 14 games, posting a .442 OPS. A right rib cage strain shut him down in August, ending his season, but those 52 plate appearances did not concern the Royals.

“We believe in the player,” Moore said. “He’s performed at every level. We’re confident he can get back to his accustomed level. He’s just entering his prime, and we know from our information he’s worked his tail off this offseason. He’s in great shape.”

We know that Benny has always worked at his craft, so there is no surprise there. Now if I can just figure out a way to watch that does not entail going back to DirecTV or Cox. Sigh. I’ll probably drop YouTube TV for Hulu, especially since I can now get AETN live via the PBS app on my TV. But that only gets me the Cards and rarely the Royals. Sigh again.

There is a lot more here (pay site):

#2

I think Benny’s defensive issues have to do with playing 81 games a year in front of the Monstah, which is a weird place to play He’s also high on the outfield assists list, so he can bring value there by throwing out people or keeping them from taking the extra base. But he needs to stay healthy.

#3
#4

Even before the trade, this 2020-21 offseason has been about returning to his fluid athletic self. He’s eaten differently. His body has returned to his natural weight, he said. His bat path is also where he wants it to be.

“He decided he’s going to go back to what he looked like when he was at his best,” [Benny’s father] said, “and that was the guy who was 175 at his height. Be the athletic, bat-on-ball kind of guy.”

“Now I understand the player I am and want to be,” Andrew said.

“He’s a line-drive swing type of guy,” Barkett said. “Kauffman Stadium is a tough place to hit the ball out of the ballpark. So for him there it’s, ‘There’s gaps here; I just need to stay within myself and play my game.’”

#5

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