Toolshed Q&A: Van Horn on Benintendi

This is part of a series of Friday columns we're calling the Toolshed, focusing on some of the more interesting prospect-centered storylines as the 2015 season develops. Have ideas, feedback questions for Sam, email him or tweet him @SamDykstraMiLB.

It's been a big couple of months for Arkansas center fielder Andrew Benintendi.

A year after hitting .276/.368/.333 with one homer and 17 steals as a freshman, the 5-foot-10, left-handed slugger broke out in his sophomore campaign, producing a .376/.488/.717 line with 20 homers and 24 steals as the nation's only 20-20 player in Division I baseball. As the season came to a close, the awards began to pile up, including the SEC Player of the Year, the Dick Howser Trophy and, on Tuesday, the Golden Spikes Award.

Because he turns 21 on July 6, he was considered old enough to Draft eligible, and scouts flocked to Fayetteville all spring to determine whether the Razorback's statistical jump was for real, and if it was, whether he was worth a high selection in June. The Red Sox ended up taking Benintendi seventh overall, and although he could return to Arkansas for two more years, he is expected to sign with Boston in the coming days and eventually report to Class A Short Season Lowell to start his pro career, according to multiple reports.

With all that in mind, MiLB.com talked to Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn about how Benintendi was able to break out as a sophomore, why he won't talk the outfielder into staying another year and what fans might be surprised to see out of him at the next level. 

MiLB.com: To start off, you had the best view on Benintendi this season. How would you sum up his sophomore season for your club?

Van Horn: I just saw someone who was extremely consistent from Game 1 until the very end. Offensively, he was such a threat, whether it was getting hits or scoring runs. One thing he did really well was taking walks. I think he walked [exactly] 50 times this season, and to show that kind of patience is outstanding for a young hitter, especially with the pressure that was put on him and the way everyone talked about his homers. He stayed patient and was just a big threat in the middle of our lineup. And as consistent as he was, I also saw a player who continued to get better as the season went on, and I think he'll continue to make strides at the next level.

MiLB.com: Of course, that really good season resulted in a glut of awards for him. How did you guys react when you began to see those pile up?

Van Horn: From a coaching standpoint, I was very excited for him and his family to receive all those awards. I have to admit, though, I didn't think he was going to get all of them because of the amount of talented guys he was being grouped with. But he kept getting them and getting them. I think when he won the SEC Player of the Year that was a sign, because of some of the top players [Alex Bregman at LSU, Dansby Swanson/Carson Fullmer at Vanderbilt] were in our league, so that gave him a leg up on everything else. And I mean, he was very deserving when you look at the numbers. Nobody had the batting average anywhere near his, and a lot of those guys had ups and downs all year. Andrew was steady, even if the batting average came down just a little at the end as he felt the pressure. I was excited to see it and happy that those who make the decisions on those things didn't get wrapped up in the hype around some of the others and gave it to who performed the best.

MiLB.com: As good Benintendi as was this year, he had a pretty big jump from his freshman season to his sophomore season. What went into his breakout?

Van Horn: Well, first off, when he arrived on campus in the fall of his freshman year, he was one of our top hitters -- if not our top hitter -- for about the first two or three weeks. Then, he had an issue with his hand that he didn't tell us much about. Late in the fall, we found out he had a broken hamate bone in his hand. So he had to get that fixed over the holidays that year, and when he got back to practicing and hitting, he was behind everyone else and it was still painful. For the first month-and-a-half, it was still bothering him, and that's a good part of the season for us. It wasn't until the last month that it really healed. And he had some hamstring issues too, which slowed him down from running.

So over last summer, what we had him do was work on his body, focus on getting stronger and really just heal up. Get some rest, lift a bit and come back healthy. Man, we could tell a difference! He came back 10 pounds bigger and a lot stronger. He did all of what we asked of him.

MiLB.com: Even with all that added strength, did you think he'd make the jump in power from one homer to 20?

Van Horn: Well, I guess I couldn't have predicted that. I thought he could hit double-digits because he was stronger and healthy. We also made a switch to a bigger baseball that's a lot better. We were using a raised-seam ball, but now, we've got a flat-seam ball that's more like a Minor League ball. It cuts through the wind better and is slightly better to travel. But I'd say out of the 20 homers he hit, 10 were definitely no-doubters. There were a couple that he hit that floated out of the park. One was an inside-the-park homer where the outfielders got tangled up and there wasn't even a throw becuase he was flying it. But to get back to your question, no I couldn't have predicted a jump like that. Hopefully, he can continue to make strides in that department.

MiLB.com: When did you start to notice that scouts were really paying attention to him?

Van Horn: It was pretty early -- about the third or fourth week -- I'd say. It took them a little bit to realize he was Draft eligible, but once they realized that and saw his numbers, they were flocking in here. They were just everywhere.

MiLB.com: I'm sure Benintendi saw them too, and you mentioned pressure before. How much did that get to him?

Van Horn: Not really, no. The only time I saw it get to him was after he won [SEC] Player of the Year the night before the SEC tournament. Swanson, Bregman -- they were all there at this big hotel, and to realize he beat them out got to him just a little bit and he struggled in the first game [a 2-1 win over Tennessee]. But in the second game [a 7-6 win over Florida], he got a big hit, and he looked like he was back to normal. It was a shot off the scoreboard in right-center. I mean, he just hit it way out.

MiLB.com: Not long after, the Red Sox took him seventh overall in the Draft. What was the reaction from his teammates and coaches?

Van Horn: They were all extremely excited for him. He doesn't talk about himself much, even when things are great, and I think everyone appreciates that part of him. So when he got taken like that, they just cheered him and got really excited for him.

MiLB.com: What's the next adjustment he needs to make to keep improving his game?

Van Horn: I think, probably like any young hitter, he needs to learn how to handle his bad days and control his emotions. His did a pretty good job of that this season. He'd still show a little emotion but would handle things much better. He was definitely a lot better as a sophomore than as a freshman. These guys have high expectations for themselves, so they get frustrated when they don't meet them. The main thing is to not let it carry over. As far as the game goes, he knows the strike zone really well, and he's pretty advanced as far as that goes, so that's something he just needs to carry to the next level.

MiLB.com: When did the thought, "Oh, no, we're probably not getting this guy back," begin to creep into your mind?

Van Horn: Oh, probably about 40-45 days into the season. I turned to some of my assistants and said, "We might as well figure out something else for our future and his scholarship because he won't be here next year." I knew right around March that this was it.

MiLB.com: But he does have two seasons of eligibility left. Have you tried to talk him into coming back at all?

Van Horn: No, not at all. I couldn't talk a guy out of taking $3 million-plus. [Ed. note: The signing bonus slot value at No. 7 is $3,590,400.] I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I tried that. It's not even an option. If he were to even ask me about coming back, I'd tell him to go pro now.

MiLB.com: Jumping back to the awards for a moment, Benintendi joined Mike Zunino (2012) and A.J. Reed (2014) to give the SEC three Golden Spikes winners in the last four seasons. You've seen all three pretty close. Even though they play different positions with different skill sets, how does he remind you of those other two?

Van Horn: Just that he's awfully talented like those other two were. All three had great stats and great seasons to win their awards. But in terms of direct similarities, all those guys move quickly. They don't hang around "A" ball. They're just such advanced players that climb up a system quickly.

MiLB.com: One thing fans always look at when they hear of a new player is a direct comparison to a Major Leaguer they know. Who do you see in him?

Van Horn: That's always kinda interesting. I've tried to think of left-handed hitters out of the past, but really, he's more like a Andrew McCutchen type of guy. McCutchen might be a touch faster, but they're both smaller-body guys who can hit well, make great defensive plays, things like that.

MiLB.com: Is there something Red Sox fans or Minor League followers might be surprised to learn about his game?

Van Horn: I don't know, because we've talked about all the good things, really. I guess it might be that he can hit some homers and hit them a long way. People see him and wonder how a guy his size can hit the ball that far. He just works on it a lot. And he's capable of stealing bases at that level too. He's fast -- real fast. There are faster players, sure, but he's got a great feel for stealing a base, and that helps him a ton.

MiLB.com: You mentioned homers there, and we touched on it earlier. Outside of strength, how does a guy his size crush the ball that far?

Van Horn: He really just gets a lot of leverage on his swing. It's a relatively flat swing, and when he gets the barrel to the ball, it jumps.