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Andrew Benintendi, OF
Age: 26
The Red Sox had one of the top outfields in baseball with Benintendi in left, Jackie Bradley Jr. in center and Mookie Betts in right when they won the 2018 World Series.
Now, Betts is a Dodger, Bradley is a free agent and Benintendi has been shipped to Kansas City.
The championship year was Benintendi’s best season, when he put up 4.1 WAR, as measured by Baseball Reference.
His offense dropped a bit in 2019—his OPS fell from .830 to .774—and he was limited to just 14 games in 2020 because of a strained muscle in his rib cage.
At his best, Benintendi provides a leadoff man’s skills and, despite the decline from 2018 to 2019 to 2020, was showing an ability to more consistently impact the baseball. His average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel percentage each improved year-over-year.
The Royals are betting that Benintendi—Baseball America’s 2015 College Player of the Year and the No. 1 prospect in the game entering the 2017 season—can get back on track with a change of scenery. He is under team control for two more seasons.
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