The White Sox introduced Andrew Benintendi on Wednesday morning, giving him his first chance to address the media since signing his five-year deal. Here are some of the highlights from his press conference. 

Why Beinintendi Signed With The White Sox

The White Sox have been eyeing Benintendi for a while now. In the 2015 MLB Draft, they were ready to select him before the Boston Red Sox swooped in and took him at No. 7. They later tried to acquire him via trade on two separate occasions. 

The White Sox were also one of the first teams to reach out to left fielder once free agency opened. On December 16th, the front office finally got their man. 

“It’s fun to be part of something where you’re desired, where you’re wanted,” said Benintendi during the press conference. “I’m looking forward to getting to know some guys, build relationships and get this thing going.

“From Day 1 in the offseason, there was communication. There was constant interest throughout the entire process. I was talking about it with Petey [Grifol], [general manager] Rick [Hahn], and the rest of the front office. It’s good to be with a team that wanted me from Day 1.”

Reuniting with his former coach, Pedro Grifol, also played a factor.

“Obviously, being with him the last two years in Kansas City, I’m familiar with the way he went about his day, his routine, the early work, the preparation, everything like that is something that when I was in Kansas City stood out to me.” 

Benintendi On Being The Highest-Paid Player 

Benintendi’s contract is for five years and is worth $75 million. It is the largest contract in franchise history, surpassing Yasmani Grandal’s $73 million deal. 

Benintendi will also receive a $3 million signing bonus for the 2023 season.He will make just $8 million during his first year of the deal. From 2024-2026 Benintendi will make $16.5 million. He will then be paid $14.5 million during the final year of his contract in 2027.

However, while the money is nice, he doesn’t want to think about it once the season rolls around. 

“That’s why it’s almost an uncomfortable conversation to have,” Benintendi said. “I’m very grateful but for me it’s like, I’m not a material guy or whatever it is. It’s nice to have. My job is to show up and play and win baseball games. It’s the same whether I’m the highest number or the lowest number, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s all about winning games and getting out there and helping the team any way I can.

“Definitely excited to be here. It’s humbling to know that, but now, I’m ready to kick things off.”

Pedro Grifol On Benintendi’s Fit In The Lineup

When manager Pedro Grifol came into his first interview with the White Sox, he identified some players he thought would fit well in the lineup. Benintendi’s name was one of the ones he had circled. 

He held off on name-dropping him during the first interview, but when Benintendi’s name was brought up during the second interview, he jumped at the chance to rave about him. 

“It wasn’t till the second interview with Kenny [Williams] and Rick [Hahn] that one of them mentioned, ‘Hey, what are your thoughts on Andrew Benintendi?'” Grifol said. “And I’m like, ‘OK, you mentioned it, not me, so now let me talk about him.'”

“He fits perfect,” the new Sox skipper said Wednesday. “He fits perfect on this ball club. He fits perfect in this park. He’s exactly what we were looking for this offseason.”

Grifol later added,

“He’s a very versatile player,” said Grifol, Benintendi’s bench coach with the Royals the last two seasons. 

“Obviously, he’s a left fielder, but he’s a very versatile player as far as where we hit him in the lineup. He’s done everything in the game. He’s hit for average; he’s hit for some power, he runs the bases well. He fits really well into what we’re trying to do here.”

Benintendi On His Recent Lack Of Power

Pedro Grifol alluded to Beinintendi’s power while raving about his fit in the lineup. However, in recent years his numbers in the power depart have been lackluster. 

He hit 17 home runs in 2021 but just five last season and zero in 2020. His career high is the 20 he hit in 2017, and the 28-year-old believes there is more where that came from. Benintendi thinks playing at Kauffman Stadium was the culprit for his limited home runs. 

“In 2021, I got pretty frustrated just flying out. We joked about it all the time, these long flyouts,” Benintendi said. “I’m not the biggest guy. It’s gonna take everything I can to hit a ball out of that stadium. 

“So going into last year, I was thinking that let’s just hit for a higher average and higher on-base, and hopefully this works, or else I’m gonna be in a world of trouble. I’m just trying to become a complete hitter.”

 His change in approach sacrificed his power but resulted in a .320 average during his first 93 games. Now that he is in a hitter-friendly Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox’s new left fielder is ready for the best of both worlds. 

“Playing in this stadium,” Benintendi said, “a lot of those long flyouts will turn into doubles and home runs without even trying to change anything.

“Whatever the team needs me to do, whatever kind of player they need me to be, that’s what I’ll try to be.”

Why Benintendi Chose Number 23

The number 23 carries some significant weight in the city of Chicago. It was worn by the greatest basketball player in NBA history, Michael Jordan, the greatest punt returner in NFL history, Devin Hester, a Hall of Famer in Ryne Sandberg, and now the highest-paid player in White Sox history.  

Now Benintendi will carry the torch of great athletes to grace the number 23 in Chicago. The last great White Sox outfielder to wear the number was 2005 World Series MVP Jermaine Dye, who admitted he chose the number because of Jordan. 

Benintendi explained why he chose the number. 

“I was afraid this would be asked. It’s not what you think,” Benintendi said playfully on Wednesday. “I am a Michael Jordan fan. (And} I was growing up. The main numbers I usually would like to wear were all taken or retired. This presented itself, and I thought, ‘Why not?'”

He also added, “My sister, her senior year, was No. 32, so I can say I flipped that around in support of her,” Benintendi said. “It’s a cool number. It’s obviously an iconic number in this city. I am by no means trying to say anything about that. Hopefully, it does me well.”

Benintendi’s last number on the Royals was 16. Unfortunately for him, the No. 16 is retired by the White Sox because of pitcher Ted Lyons.