$75M = One of the worst White Sox LF Seasons

[caulfield12]

18 minutes ago, kitekrazy said:

Still better than the Grifol signing.

Grifol can much more easily be fired into the sun after just one season.

"Well, he's OUR Russian moon landing craft."

[South Side Hit Men]

7 minutes ago, nitetrain8601 said:

Basically, no matter how you spin it, this might be the worst contract in Sox history. The sad part is, Beni would be the focus of a lot of negative if he was on almost any other organization. Our team, however, is so rotten, as long as Beni doesn't get himself in trouble, no one is going to blink an eye.

He's also among the worst across MLB power categories with a significant drop off from merely bottom 1/4th - 1/3rd:

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/andrew-benintendi-643217?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb

• Hard Hit & OAA 3rd percentile (97% are better)
• Brl % 4th
• xISO 5th
• EV 9th

The Sox have had such bad fielders in LF, that he seems to be OK compared to an Eloy or Vaughn. Dayan Viciedo led the 2012 LF defense to the Top 10. Rick Hahn has not had a Top 10 defensive LF during his tenure.

Top Ten MLB Team Defense (1st-10th) in a full season (2020 excluded):

(Overall Rank - Primary Player)

• 2022 Catcher (4th overall - Yasmani Grandal 64 starts)
• 2017 First Base (6th overall - Jose Abreu 138 starts)
• 2023 Second Base (9th overall YTD - Elvis Andrus 46 starts)
• 2019 Third Base (5th overall - Yoan Moncada 128 starts)
• 2018 Shortstop (9th overall - Tim Anderson 151 starts)
• 2012 Left Field (10th overall - Dayan Viciedo 129 starts)
• 2023 Center Field (10th overall YTD - Luis Robert Jr. 115 starts)
• 2017 Right Field (9th overall - Avisail Garcia 131 starts)

Last season for 2B and CF if Sox drop out of Top 10 before YE:

• 2017 Second Base (6th overall - Yolmer Sanchez 69 starts)
• 2019 Center Field (5th overall - Leury Garcia 71 starts *) 

Note * - Adam Engel played more total innings (608 1/3 vs. 573)

[Chicago White Sox]

2 hours ago, Balta1701 said:

Worth pointing out that prior to this year he has been a perfectly cromulent outfielder and that his defensive dropoff this year is dramatic?

He has been -18 in OAA in LF prior to this season.  He’s really never been good out there, but rather average at best.  Perhaps I’m overreacting to the drop-off this year, but he’s basically Scotty Pods without the speed or range.  And that is a very mediocre baseball player and definitely not worth a five year commitment.

[wrathofhahn]

1 hour ago, nitetrain8601 said:

Basically, no matter how you spin it, this might be the worst contract in Sox history. The sad part is, Beni would be the focus of a lot of negative if he was on almost any other organization. Our team, however, is so rotten, as long as Beni doesn't get himself in trouble, no one is going to blink an eye.

Sadly he isn't even the worst contract of Hahns tenure.

Keuchel is easily first. Probably Garcia 2nd. Grandal is 3rd but as bad as he's been we werent supposed to extract value from the backhalf of his deal. He got injured and most of the value from the fronthalf never materialized.

Honorable mention goes to Herrara as well. I still have some hope that Beni gets a bit of power in his bat and goes back to a .750ish Ops hitter with a 1.5ish WAR that probably gets you 9M to 10M in FA but he shouldn't have gotten the contract he did off the year he had. I mean the BABIP was a fluke we all knew that the only thing I can think of is the FO thought his power numbers would come back as his wrist is healthy but it never did and he is still having issues with his wrist.

It's bet a wouldn't have had a problem with on a short-term deal but to give him the kind of term they did his power better come back soon because if it doesn't his deal is going to be a write off.

Edited August 21, 2023 by wrathofhahn

[kitekrazy]

On 8/21/2023 at 7:52 AM, caulfield12 said:

Grifol can much more easily be fired into the sun after just one season.

"Well, he's OUR Russian moon landing craft."

You forgot what organization we are talking about.