Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol spoke to reporters down at Spring Training on Monday, sharing some insight into how his batting order could shake out in 2024.
The Chicago Sun-Times' Daryl Van Schouwen and Sox Machine's James Fegan were among the reporters who passed along some information from Grifol's press conference, including the fact that the manager said he had multiple candidates in mind to be his leadoff hitter this season. The only one he mentioned by name, however, was outfielder Andrew Benintendi.
Benintendi spent the majority of his time as the White Sox's No. 2 hitter in 2023, but he did still get 44 starts in the leadoff spot. When filling that role, Benintendi hit .301 with a .759 OPS.
Compared to his .243 batting average and .644 OPS as anything other than a leadoff man, Benintendi's production peaked when he was the first White Sox player to step up to the plate. Shortstop Tim Anderson, who led off for Chicago 90 times last season, is no longer on the roster to block Benintendi from ascending to that position.
Benintendi is entering the second year of the five-year, $75 million contract he signed with the White Sox last offseason. He was fresh off an All-Star campaign split between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees, although he was a few years removed from his star-making turn with the Boston Red Sox.
From 2016 to 2019, Benintendi hit .277 with a .796 OPS, all while averaging 18 home runs, 89 RBI and 18 stolen bases per 162 games. In the four seasons since, Benintendi is a .275 hitter with a .730 OPS, averaging 10 home runs, 65 RBI and 11 stolen bases per 162 games.
Benintendi finished 2023 with just five home runs and 45 RBI in 151 games. He was one of the few mainstays for a Chicago team that finished fourth in the AL Central at 61-101.
Outside of Benintendi, Grifol does not have many other clear options to make his go-to leadoff man. The quartet of Yoán Moncada, Andrew Vaughn, Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jiménez are arguably the White Sox's most effective batters, but their power is likely best-used elsewhere in the lineup.
FanGraphs is projecting Benintendi to hit .272 with 10 home runs, 74 RBI, 12 stolen bases and a .738 OPS in 2024.
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