Lets take just a second out of our day to play the “what if” game, shall we? You know, the game where someone says something like the following: “Gosh, what if Stoerner hadn’t fumbled that ball?” Or perhaps, “Hey, what if Corliss and Scottie would’ve stayed one more year?” Or even, “Man, what if Reggie Fish hadn’t tried to catch that punt?” These are the questions we as fans like to ask ourselves when things do not go exactly the way we think they should have. We let our imaginations run wild with thoughts of what could have been.
Here’s a question worth addressing: what if Andrew Benintendi had been born a year earlier? Assuming that all recruiting decisions remain the same for him, this would mean that Benintendi would have been a true-freshman on last year’s Razorback baseball team, rather than this year’s. Now we all know that one player cannot carry a team in baseball. It takes a true collective effort from all players involved. However, I believe one player can make a team exponentially greater.
Seeing the Razorbacks struggle to find a productive, every-day centerfielder last season was very frustrating. Jacob Morris and Matt Vinson, the two players who got the bulk of the playing time in center, combined to hit just .246 with 11 doubles, 2 homeruns and 38 RBI. Though Vinson did improve his play dramatically last season compared to years past he was likely better suited to play a corner outfield position. Morris had a difficult 2013 season, battling through a number of lingering injuries and never quite living up to his potential.
Equally as difficult to stomach was the revolving door at the lead-off spot in the order. Vinson, Jacob Mahan, and Joe Serrano were all counted on multiple times last season to hit at the top of the Razorback order but none were able to hold onto that spot for any considerable amount of time. Even Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn would likely admit that there was not a true lead-off hitter on his roster last season.
Six games into the 2014 season Benintendi is already making his presence felt at the top of the Hogs’ lineup. He is hitting .294 with three doubles, one homerun, nine runs scored and six runs batted in. Four of his five hits this season have been for extra bases. Benintendi isn’t just hitting his way on base, either. He has recorded 5 walks and has been hit by 4 pitches so far this year. His on-base percentage of .538 is good enough for second best on the team.
Benintendi has the numbers so far to please any skipper in the SEC, but it is the intangibles he brings to the game that will put him over the top. There are certain things you cannot coach in a ball player and Arkansas’ starting center fielder/ leadoff man has been praised by Van Horn for his instincts and baseball knowledge. He has been playing up an age group his entire young career and that experience has given him confidence to be an impact player as a freshman. These intangibles include but are not limited to getting jumps on fly balls in the outfield, knowing when to steal, running the bases with wise aggression, making adjustments in the middle of an at bat, and anticipating pitch selections.
As a five tool player, Benintendi looks to be a mainstay in the Razorbacks lineup for three years. He is cashing in productive plate appearances in the leadoff spot for now, but Van Horn projects him as a 3 hole hitter once the spot opens up. There are a few positions on the diamond that you like to have the type of player Benintendi is. Arkansas has a senior catcher, a junior shortstop, and a freshman centerfielder that doesn’t seem to know how difficult the transition is from high school to college. What if he never finds out?
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