Down on the Farm: Checking in with Moncada and Benintendi

Photo by Brynn Anderson/AP Photo

Ryan MacLeod (RyanMacLeod15)
Contributing Writer

As fans, we always focus on the right now, what is going on with the Red Sox at the major league level. Who is performing, who is struggling. We often seem to forget that while we see holes in the current Red Sox roster, there are players in the Minor Leagues that in a few years, or even months could be filling those holes. I'm not talking about a quick help call up from AAA Pawtucket either, I'm talking about guys deep in the minor league system that all Red Sox fans should know about. These guys are Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi.

These guys not only should be two guys that all Red Sox fans know, but guys that Red Sox fans should be talking about on a daily basis with other Red Sox fans. You should be checking out the box score every day of the Salem Red Sox just like you do with the Boston Red Sox, because these guys are on a tear. Just 18 games into the season, many fans are saying that Moncada and Benintendi should have started the year in Portland in AA. It's hard to argue against that too, Moncada in 18 games is hitting .350 with an OPS of .957. He has stolen 13 bases and has been caught only 4 times. Defensively he has played 148 innings in the field, all at second base and has fielded .954, committing only 4 errors.

Benintendi has appeared in one less game and is hitting .333 with an OPS of 1.013. In just 17 games he has 6 triples and 8 doubles while he has driven in 11 runs. Defensively he has played 122 innings, all in center field and has made only one error, fielding .978. Both of these guys are extremely hot to start the year, they both had hits on Sunday, which extended their hitting streak to 14 games each. It seems like the Red Sox have invested both their first round draft pick last year, (Benintendi), and a large chuck of the international free agent budget (Moncada), wisely. How quickly could they rise through the ranks? Some people say that Benintendi could be a September call up depending on how the Red Sox season goes, while Moncada will likely be seen in the majors sometime in 2017.

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