Royals left fielder Andrew Benintendi shares many of Alex Gordon’s defensive qualities
When Alex Gordon departed in the Royals’ season finale last September, fans knew they’d likely never see anyone play that kind of defense in left field again.
You can’t just pluck an eight-time Gold Glove award winner off a tree, you know.
But in Andrew Benintendi, who was acquired Wednesday night in a three-team trade, the Royals appear to have found a player who won’t be that big of a defensive drop off in left field.
Per FanGraphs, Gordon led major-league left fielders with 25 runs saved from 2017-19, while Benintendi was second (18). Out of the Zone plays (OOZ), are ones judged to be made by a fielder that are out of a normal fielding range. Over that three-year span, Gordon made 216 such plays, while Benintendi had 158.
Gordon was known for crashing into walls and laying out to make a catch. Well, so is Benintendi. Take a look at these defensive highlights and you’ll see flashes of Gordon.
In Game 3 of the 2018 American League Championship Series, the Astros trailed 8-6 but had the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Benintendi secured Boston’s victory with this gem:
This play along the wall resembles Gordon:
Ditto for this catch at the left field fence:
Benintendi can also throw out would-be scorers:
This isn’t a defensive play, but here’s how an opposing manager reacted when Benintendi hit a home run. Former Astros manager A.J. Hinch was being interviewed when this happened:
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 9:07 AM.
