Captain of the Week (6/17-6/22): Juan Benjamin
EASTLAKE, Ohio – After each series this season, the Lake County Captains will spotlight a Captain of the Week, presented by Official League, showcasing a player and their strong performance over the previous week. For the week of June 17-22, Lake County is recognizing INF Juan Benjamin as its 11th
EASTLAKE, Ohio – After each series this season, the Lake County Captains will spotlight a Captain of the Week, presented by Official League, showcasing a player and their strong performance over the previous week.
For the week of June 17-22, Lake County is recognizing INF Juan Benjamin as its 11th Captain of the Week for the 2025 season.
From June 17-22, the 22-year-old led Midwest League hitters with at least 15 plate appearances in both slugging percentage (1.083) and OPS (1.616) on the road against the South Bend Cubs. He also ranked top-five among qualified Midwest League hitters in triples (one, tied for second), home runs (two, tied for fourth), RBI (six, tied for fourth), and stolen bases (three, tied for fourth), while ranking top-10 in total bases (13, tied for eighth).
After not hitting a home run in his first 36 games played this season, the switch hitter homered in each of his last two games played at South Bend.
On Thursday, June 19, Benjamin hit a three-run shot in the top of the second inning for his first career High-A home run. This swing ultimately proved to be the game-winner in an eventual 6-2 Lake County victory.
Then, two days later, he once again homered in the top of the second inning with a solo blast, which drove in one of the Captains’ 10 runs in an eventual 10-5 Lake County win. Benjamin also logged a pair of stolen bases, as the Captains stole a franchise-record eight bases as a team in the victory.
The infielder also hit his first career High-A triple in the team’s 10-2 series-opening triumph on Tuesday, June 17, as he tallied an extra-base hit in each of his three games played this past week. Benjamin’s knock was the last of Lake County’s three triples in the contest, which tied a team single-game franchise record.
So far this season, Benjamin ranks top-five on the Captains in walks (24, fourth), triples (one, tied for fourth), and stolen bases (eight, tied for fourth), while ranking top-10 on the team in home runs (two, eighth), runs scored (19, ninth), hits (31, 10th), extra-base hits (seven, 10th), and total bases (43, 10th). He is also batting .270 in his first 38 games played this year.
Benjamin was assigned to Lake County’s 2025 Opening Day roster from the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats. He ranked top-five on Lynchburg in hits (87, second), batting average (.251, third), RBI (52, tied for third), stolen bases (24, fourth), doubles (17, tied for fourth), and total bases (114, fifth) last season.
Benjamin was signed by Cleveland as an international free agent on July 2, 2019 out of Santiago, Dominican Republic. In 288 regular season games with the Guardians organization, he has batted .266 with 268 hits, 44 doubles, 10 triples, 10 home runs, 146 RBI, 140 walks, 65 stolen bases, and a .719 OPS across the Dominican Summer League Indians Blue (2021), Arizona Complex League Guardians (2022), Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (2022-24), and Lake County (2025-present).
Benjamin will look to continue his recent success this week, as the Captains will take on the 2025 Midwest League East First Half Division Champion West Michigan Whitecaps in a six-game home series. First pitch for Tuesday night’s series opener is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. from Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake. All six games will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App and MiLB.com, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.
About the Lake County Captains:
The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.