Aaron Boone is excited to welcome Andrew Benintendi into the fold, but resents the idea that the Bombers need that lefty contact bat to counteract an over-reliance on home runs from all-or-nothing sluggers.
“That’s another great hitter,” Boone said. “It's fake news that we have too many power hitters, too many sluggers. That's fake. We've got savages in the lineup and really good hitters. Benintendi's a great hitter.”
With the acquisition of Benintendi, the Yanks now can add the former World Series champion to bats like DJ LeMahieu, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Anthony Rizzo to the list of players in the lineup who keep their strikeout numbers down.
“Gets on base at a really high clip, hits from the left side, so yeah, gives us some balance,” Boone said. “That’s another really good big-league hitter that gets on base at a really high clip, gives you some balance….that’s gonna lengthen out our lineup and give you that balance you look for. I’ll be excited to write his name in.”
Benintendi could also give the Yanks a solid option in the outfield while giving Aaron Judge rest from center field and Giancarlo Stanton more time at DH when he returns from the IL. Most importantly, the Yanks believe the move makes the team better.
“He’s a really good player,” Judge said. “I had a chance to play against him for quite a few years when he was over in Bostin and saw him do some impressive things…Adding a guy like that will definitely give us a little pump-up, that's for sure.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)
