MLB: Andrew Benintendi and Orlando Arcia promoted

For MLB teams that didn’t want to go all-in during the trade season, there are other options to improve their clubs. The Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers have promoted two of their top prospects, Andrew Benintendi and Orlando Arcia, respectively, to boost their rosters.

Andrew Benintendi – Boston Red Sox

Embed from Getty Images

The Red Sox elected not to make much noise at the MLB trade deadline as they only acquired reliever Fernando Abad on Monday afternoon. The Red Sox acquired just one notable position player via trade this season, and it was infielder Aaron Hill.

With that being said, the Red Sox have been a weak team at the left field position for the entire year. In Spring Training, it was believed that Cuban Rusney Castillo would lock down the job and play next to All-Stars Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts. Instead, Castillo lost out to ultra utility-man Brock Holt.

Holt has battled injuries this season and when he’s been healthy, he’s batted .257 with five home runs and 25 RBI. He’s struggled mightily against left-handers, sporting a .120 average with no home runs or RBI. As odd as it sounds, it seems like he’s struggled playing just one position, a big change from previous years.

Castillo was demoted to AAA after getting just eight at-bats in 2016. It’s been rumored that he just isn’t able to tap into his potential and seems distracted. He was taken off the Red Sox 40-man roster and is now hitting .228 in Pawtucket. The third left fielder in the mix, Chris Young, strained his hamstring on June 24, and there’s been no real timetable for his return.

So with the Red Sox struggling to find a stable option in left, they opted not to make a splash on August 1 and instead promoted Andrew Benintendi. The 22-year-old was selected seventh overall in 2015 by the Red Sox out of Arkansas University and is now their #2 overall prospect. In his final season there, he hit .380 with 19 home runs. He won the SEC Player of the Year, Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy and Baseball America College Player of the Year.

The center fielder, transitioning to left, has dominated in all levels of minor league baseball. He didn’t get past Class A in his first full season in the minors, but still played very well. This year, he was promoted to AA after hitting .341 with 32 RBI, and more walks (15) than strikeouts (9) in Advanced A.

In AA Portland he crushed the ball, hitting .295 with eight home runs and 44 RBI. He’s also a major speed threat, already swiping eight bases. He’s only played 63 games in Portland, and has less than two years experience in the minors, but the Red Sox have deemed him good enough to skip over AAA all together. In fact, he’s the first Red Sox first round selection to ever reach the bigs just a year after being drafted.

Between his raw power and athleticism, the Red Sox could be looking at a potential superstar. With excellent pull power, the short right field porch at Fenway Park could play favorably to him. In an ideal world, we may be looking at a player who can hit at least 20 home runs, steal 20 bases, and drive in 80-100 RBI.

Scouts have compared him to former Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury in terms of athletic ability and potential. His swing has reminded others of players like Don Mattingly or former Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew.

Benintendi is the 7^th best prospect in MLB according to MLB.com, but could be removed from that list if he exceeds rookie limits in the next two months of the season. The Red Sox are hoping Benintendi can hold down a starting spot, but they must be wary of rushing his development.

He joins the team tonight in Seattle, but it’s rumored that he won’t get his first at-bat until tomorrow night.

Orlando Arcia – Milwaukee Brewers

Embed from Getty Images

The Brewers are in a much different situation than the Red Sox. They are not in the middle of a playoff race, nor do they have any intentions of even competing for a Wild Card spot. They are in the middle of a rebuild, and it is time to start looking at their available farm system options. They’ll start with their top prospect and MLB’s 13^th best prospect Orlando Arcia.

Although the Brewers don’t have a shortstop issue, it’s evident that he is the shortstop of the future in Milwaukee. The only real concern with this call-up is how it might affect Jonathan Villar. He has played really well at short this season, batting .293 with 38 RBI and a league high 39 stolen bases. He’ll move over to third but may not be happy about it.

Arcia was signed as an international free agent in 2010 by the Brewers. He started playing in 2011 and has advanced from there, despite missing 2012 with injuries. This past July he was selected to the MLB Futures Game and was named the 2015 Brewers Minor League Player of the Year.

This season he’s played 100 games in AAA. He’s batting .267/.320/.403 with eight home runs and 53 RBI. In addition, he’s hit 19 doubles, six triples and has swiped 15 bags. Arcia had more success at the plate at lower levels when he had a batting average of .300 and was an extra-base hit machine, but the Brewers feel that he is ready.

Arcia’s most gifted tool is his glove. It’s been said that he has the potential to be a Gold Glove caliber fielder very early in his career. The best overall shortstop prospect in MLB is marveled at for his smooth mechanics and huge range up the middle. His fielding is always smooth and he has a strong, accurate arm. Arcia has been viewed as a defense-first shortstop, but his bat is coming along.

Arcia, at 21 years old, now becomes the youngest shortstop in the National League. This year we’ve seen the emergence of talented young NL shortstops such as Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Addison Russell and Aledmys Diaz. Arcia could become the next shortstop to be added to that list, and make a major impact on his club.

Next: Five managers on the hot seat

Arcia shouldn’t have to worry about any job security at this point in time, nor should he see the opportunity as a tryout for the major league roster. The Brewers want to see what Arcia can do before they make him the Opening Day shortstop in 2017, and now will be a good time to excite fans and hype him up.

He will make his MLB Debut tonight in San Diego, marking the beginning of the Orlando Arcia era in Milwaukee.