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Andrew Benintendi is just 23 and the Red Sox outfielder is coming off his first full year in the majors.
It went well. Benintendi homered 20 times, drove in 90 runs, batted .271, and finished as the Rookie of the Year runner-up.
Benintendi told WBZ's Jonny Miller he's feeling more prepared with a full season under his belt.
“I know what to expect now,” Benintendi said. “I know how to manage my schedule, on and off the field and I know what it takes. So I, definitely, going into this year, feel more comfortable - feel ready to go.”
Benintendi has little reservation about batting second in the order.
“You know, Mookie [Betts] does his thing at the top of the order,” the outfielder said. “I mean, he hit there a lot last year, and he’s always on base. So, it gives the pitcher something else to think about and when you got guys like Hanley [Ramírez], J.D. [Martinez] and, you know, Mitch [Moreland] or somebody, whoever it is behind you, it puts a lot more pressure on the pitcher. If I go up there with a good approach and get my pitch, things will work out.”
Fortunately, even if that approach is off in one at-bat, he can immediately watch the video to correct it for the next time.
“If I’ve faced that pitcher before, I’ll go back and watch my at-bats against him and see what they try to do. I’ll do that for any pitcher, pretty much every single day I play. That’s something I always do and I’ve done since I’ve been up here.”
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman reports: