Red Sox Promote Benintendi to Sea Dogs

Portland, Maine - The Boston Red Sox have promoted outfielder Andrew Benintendi to the Portland Sea Dogs from High-A Salem.  

Benintendi, 21, was selected by the Red Sox in the first round (7th overall) of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Arkansas. In 34 games with High-A Salem this season, Benintendi hit .341/.413/.563 with 13 doubles, 7 triples, 1 home run, 32 RBI, 30 runs, 8 stolen bases, and 15 walks compared to 9 strikeouts.  

At the time of his promotion, Benintendi led the Carolina League in hits (T-46), triples, extra-base hits (T-21), and total bases (76), and ranked among league leaders in batting average (2nd), RBI (2nd), slugging percentage (2nd), doubles (T-2nd), runs scored (30 - 3rd), and on-base percentage (4th). He also ranked as the toughest hitter in the Carolina League to strike out, averaging 17.22 plate appearances per strikeout.
Among all Minor League Baseball players, Benintendi ranks among leaders in triples (2nd), extra-base hits (T-4th), doubles (T-6th), RBI (T-6th), runs (T-9th), and hits (T-10th).

Benintendi recorded a 23-game hit streak from April 10th - May 6th, the longest in all of Minor League Baseball this season and tying the longest ever in Salem franchise history. He also earned the Carolina League Player of the Week award for the week of April 25th - May 1st.

Benintendi is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Red Sox organization and the No. 15 prospect in all of baseball, as well as having the Best Strike-Zone Discipline and being the Best Defensive Outfielder in the system.

In his first season in professional baseball in 2015, Benintendi combined between Short-Season Lowell and Low-A Greenville to hit .313/.416/.556 with 7 doubles, 4 triples, 11 home runs, 31 RBI, 36 runs, and 10 stolen bases in 54 games. He walked 35 times and struck out just 24. His 11 homers tied for third most among all Red Sox minor leaguers.

Benintendi is the Red Sox' earliest ever college player selected in a June Draft and played baseball for two seasons at the University of Arkansas, where he led the Razorbacks to a College World Series berth in 2015. That year, he led Division I in home runs (20) and finished 3rd in slugging percentage (.717) and won the Dick Howser Trophy as the top D1 baseball player in the country and the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top amateur player. He was also named National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America, and SEC Player of the Year after leading the conference in average (.376), on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage, home runs, and walks (50).

The Sea Dogs begin a three-game series tonight at Hadlock Field against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 6:00 PM. Tickets are still available for all remaining Sea Dogs' home games and can be purchased at the Sea Dogs' ticket office at Hadlock Field, by phone at 207-879-9500, or online at seadogs.com.