5 reasons Andrew Benintendi is the future of the Red Sox

The young Red Sox prospect just collected what should be the first of many Major League hits in his first ever start last night.

The Boston Red Sox are a handful of years removed from their last World Series win, and with the curse fully and seemingly forever broken, it’s time to start leaning on the future.

While the Sox didn’t really have that big of a hangover from the 2004 World Series win, going on to win two more titles to date, the team now needs to start thinking big picture and what the future holds as far as being a consistent threat.

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Their brightest hope is young Andrew Benintendi. He was recently called up to the majors and already has Sox fans feeling good about what lies ahead.

He is the 2015 Golden Spikes Award Winner

He joins Tim Lincecum, David Price, Buster Posey, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, and Kris Bryant on the list of players to have previously won the award. It is presented to the best amateur baseball player in the United States. He achieved this prestigious award while playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks where he topped the NCAA in home runs with 20 in his final season there.

It is clear that the Red Sox see potential greatness

Benintendi was selected 7th overall by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2015 MLB First Year Player Draft. He is the sixth top-10 selection in franchise history and joins Fred Lynn as the only players in franchise history to have reached the majors within one year of being drafted. They opted not to deal Benintendi before the trade deadline in potential deals that could have strengthened their pitching staff, included trying to go after lefthander Chris Sale from the White Sox.

He was promoted straight out of double-A

Benintendi batted .312 with 21 doubles, 12 triples, 9 home runs and a .910 OPS in 97 games before being called up from the Portland Sea Dogs. The last player the Red Sox called up directly from double-A was all-star Jackie Bradley Jr.

He is only 22

Enough said.

He is already showing major league promise

In his first major league start Tuesday night against the Mariners, Benintendi drove a single opposite-field off starter Hisashi Iwakuma. It was the first of two singles he would produce in the 3-1 loss.

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