Spinners' Benintendi slugs first pro homer

It didn't take long for Andrew Benintendi to start flashing the skills that made him a top 10 Draft pick.

The Red Sox's first-rounder slugged his first professional home run on his second straight two-hit night Saturday, helping Class A Short Season Lowell edge Tri-City, 6-5, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.

The No. 7 overall pick in last month's Draft has produced multi-hit games in each of first his two pro starts, going 4-for-8. He signed with the Red Sox on Tuesday and made his Minior League debut three nights later.

Despite leading the nation with 20 homers and winning the Golden Spikes Award as a sophomore at the University of Arkansas, Benintendi was assigned to the Spinners, becoming the highest Red Sox Draft pick ever to play for the New York-Penn League squad.

The 20-year-old outfielder likely would have been happy just to be playing, regardless of level, and patiently waited to get started after the Red Sox signed him.

"I'm glad to be here and get going," Benintendi told the Lowell Sun before his pro debut. "I'm looking forward to getting out there and playing. It's kind of tough just to sit on the sideline and watch. When I see my name in the lineup, I'll be ready to go. Hopefully, I can help the team keep winning."

The left-handed hitter proved his readiness in his first two starts, picking up where he left off in his final college season, when he led the Razorbacks with a .376 average, 57 RBIs and 24 steals. Scouts have praised his speed and ability to make consistent hard contact.

Benintendi's power remains one of his more intriguing tools, as he had just one homer as a freshman before exploding for 20 this spring. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, the Ohio native doesn't fit the bill of a prototypical power hitter.

"You see his numbers and you think he's going to be built like a big, old power guy," Spinners hitting coach Iggy Suarez told the newspaper. "He isn't, but he's still strong. You can't sleep on him. Watch him hit in the cage and you can see it, the way the ball comes off his bat."

"I got bigger and stronger," Benintendi said of his uptick in power. "Going into my sophomore year, I knew what to expect. So I prepared accordingly. I don't think I'm a power guy, even though the numbers may say I am. I'm more of a gap-to-gap guy. I just go up there and try and hit the ball hard and, fortunately, enough balls go over the fence."

Spinners second baseman Hector Lorenzana hit a three-run homer to cap a four-run second inning before Benintendi ripped a two-run blast in the third. He lined a single and stole second in the eighth.

Edwar Garcia (2-0) got the win, despite allowing two runs on one hit and three walks in three innings.

Right fielder Pat Porter went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, four RBIs and two runs scored for the ValleyCats, who got stellar relief from Elieser Hernandez. The 20-year-old right-hander struck out 10 of the 13 batters he faced and yielded one hit over four innings.