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Andrew Benintendi 2020 Outlook: The Price Again Exceeds His Production
5 years agoAndrew Benintendi was generally taken within the first two rounds of fantasy drafts in 2019, and it would be an understatement to say that he disappointed his owners. The 25-year-old slashed just .266/.343/.431 with 13 HR and 10 steals (three CS) over the entire season, and everything about his peripheral stats suggests that he deserved the performance. His Statcast contact quality metrics (91.9 mph average airborne exit velocity, 8.1 Brls/BBE rate) were only okay, leading to an xBA of .267 despite a .333 BABIP. His 40.7 FB% was fine, but a greater percentage of them were pop-ups (10.3 IFFB%) than home runs (7.9 HR/FB). His plate discipline looked like a plus on the surface (9.6 BB%, 22.8 K%), but his underlying metrics were average at best (33% chase rate, 11.6 SwStr%). His foot speed was also league-average based on his 27.1 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed. The Red Sox hit him all over their order in 2019, and the team's cost-cutting goals suggest that Benintendi won't have the same team support he enjoyed last season. Fantasy owners are warier than they were last year, but his ADP in NFBC is still a pricey 108.48. With little average, power, speed, or counting stat upside, it's tough to see how he turns a profit at that price.
