By Dominic DalDegan | December 22, 2022

The White Sox added some much needed stability to the roster. On December 16th, left fielder Andrew Benintendi and the White Sox agreed to terms on a five-year deal worth $75 million. This is the largest ever contract signed in franchise history.

Benintendi acts much like a dangerous power hitter at the plate. Rather than hitting home runs though, he generates productive base hits with runners in scoring position. Ranking in the top 16% of the league in chase rate, he waits for his pitch to drive. The White Sox had no trouble getting hits last season. When it came time for them to deliver with runners on base though, the White Sox faded due to their high chase rates. During high pressure situations, Benintendi stays calm and composed. Last season, Benintendi hit .300 with runners in scoring position.

The White Sox were dreadful against right-handed pitching last season. Benintendi can help remedy this. Rarely caught off balance at the plate, Benintendi hit .352 against opposite-handed changeups. He hit fastballs similarly, and punished sliders at the tune of a .512 slugging percentage. Benintendi’s ability to attack pitches well is proven credible by his 89.2 MPH average exit velocity, which is high for a contact hitter. Considering all of the swing paths he uses to combat various pitches, it’s impressive that he can frequently make solid contact. Overall, Benintendi slashed .318/.384/.428 versus right-handed pitching in 2022. 

Though his power numbers may have not jumped off the page in 2022, that may very well change. Throughout his career, Benintendi has played at very unique parks with many nooks and crannies. With Guaranteed Rate Field not being as unique and smaller overall, Benintendi should be able to put it on the board more often. Specifically, Guaranteed Rate Field has more shallow center field dimensions than Fenway Park, Kauffman Stadium, and Yankee Stadium. This is an area where Benintendi has clanked many doubles off the wall. According to Baseball Savant, Benintendi would have 31 more home runs for his career if he played every game in Chicago. While this is an unrealistic circumstance, it suggests that the 28-year old can at least get back to his 15-20 home run form he had in Boston.

Defensively, the former gold glove award winner grades out as an above average left fielder. Benintendi ranked in the 59th percentile in outs above average among all players, committing zero errors in 2022. If Benintendi did have any defensive shortcomings, it would be his arm strength. Luckily, he can hide it decently well in left field. More importantly for the White Sox, Benintendi is a corner outfielder that stays on the field. Not counting the COVID-shortened 2020, Benintendi has never played fewer than 127 games in a season and usually plays around 140 games or so. Considering the annoying tendency of current Sox players to get on the injured list, we welcome Benintendi’s healthy track record. 

Benintendi can also take pressure off some White Sox players. Eloy Jimenez can primarily DH, Andrew Vaughn only has to focus on playing first base, and prospect Oscar Colas does not have the weight of being the only meaningful addition to the team as a rookie next season. Plus, this moves Gavin Sheets to more of a bench role, and it’ll be a luxury having him pinch-hit in key situations.  

Overall, the addition of Andrew Benintendi to the White Sox is a breath of fresh air. We know the consistent presence that Benintendi can bring. When it comes to signing new players, Sox fans are usually left wondering if we can tap into somebody’s hidden potential or if a player past their prime still has something in the tank. This time, we are bringing a guy in his prime to the south side.