Andrew Benintendi
#23 LF · White Sox
Gold Glove '21
Height
5'9"
Weight
185 lbs
Age
31
College
Arkansas
Draft
2015, Rd 1, #7
Experience
10 yrs
Bats/Throws
L/L
D+
C
B
N/A
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The Verdict on Andrew, in One Read
On the field, Andrew Benintendi grades out as a middling LF for White Sox (C Performance). That places him 56th of 75 graded left fielders. The contract is harder to defend: the Contract Value Index calls it a slight overpay (D+), with the cost outrunning the output. The public read is positive (B Sentiment), drawn from current news and social signal rather than the box score. With 10+ seasons of track record, these grades rest on a deep sample.
Career StatsC
| Year | Team | GP | AVG | HR | RBI | OPS | SB | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career |  | 1196 | 0.26565337 | 121 | 579 | 0.7496114 | 87 | 1171 |
| 2026 | | 55 | .240 | 6 | 29 | .711 | 1 | 43 |
| 2025 |
Current Contract
Length
5 years
Total Value
$75.0M
Guaranteed
$45.0M
AAV
$15.0M/yr
Guaranteed %60%
Contract Value Index (CVI)
D+
Below Value
OverpayFair ValueGreat Value
Andrew Benintendi's five-year, $75 million deal with the White Sox earns a D+ CVI grade, reflecting a significant overpay for what projects as serviceable starter production. At $15M annually, the White Sox are paying Benintendi like a franchise-caliber outfielder when his recent track record suggests he's more of a solid starter at best — the kind of player who should command closer to $10-12M per year in today's market. Left field isn't a premium defensive position, and Benintendi's offensive profile lacks the power upside typically required to justify this salary tier, especially as he enters his age-29 season. The lengthy five-year commitment compounds the risk, as the White Sox have essentially locked themselves into paying above-market rates through Benintendi's decline years. While he brings consistency and respectable on-base skills, this contract represents the type of middling veteran spending that keeps rebuilding teams stuck in mediocrity rather than investing those resources in player development or higher-impact acquisitions. The White Sox would have been better served either targeting a true difference-maker at this price point or finding comparable production at a fraction of the cost.
Performance Analysis
C
FCA+
Among left fielders on the White Sox, Andrew Benintendi's output grades to a C performance level. The 31-year-old established veteran's 2026 season reflects the kind of below-average production that has become increasingly difficult to justify at his $15M salary, with a .240 batting average and 6 home runs across 55 games telling a familiar story of limited offensive impact. His strikeout total of 56 K in that span underscores the gap between contact quality and offensive contribution, a pattern that has defined much of his recent tenure on the South Side. The availability piece remains the deeper concern — another injured list stint this season continues a troubling pattern of durability issues that has plagued his entire White Sox run, and at an age when veteran outfielders typically deliver consistent production to offset their salary, Benintendi has instead become a movement target as the organization reshuffles its roster with younger arms and position player depth. His 2021 Gold Glove remains his most recent credential of genuine impact, but that award feels increasingly distant as on-field performance has trended downward and his clubhouse presence — widely noted as a positive — no longer carries enough weight to quiet the trade speculation already circulating through Chicago's front office. With the team sitting at 40-37 and actively adding outfield depth through recent moves, the organizational patience for waiting out another injury recovery appears exhausted, and the honest read is that Benintendi's days in Chicago are numbered.
Contracts in the Same Value Band
Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the D band — a quick read on where Andrew's contract sits relative to comparable money.
How Andrew Compares at the Position
Andrew Benintendi ranks 56th of 75 graded left fielders by performance. That slots Andrew between MJ Melendez (C+) just ahead and Nathan Church (C) just behind.
Graded higher
MJ MelendezMetsC+Alejandro OsunaRangersC+Carlos CortesAthleticsC+Andrew BenintendiC
Graded lower
Nathan ChurchCardinalsRecent Games
| Date | OPP | Result | AB | H | R | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, 6/22 | vs CLE | W 6-5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sun, 6/21 | @ DET | L 4-5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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About this player
Andrew Benintendi is a veteran in his 10th MLB season listed at LF for the White Sox. FanVerdicts covers every MLB player, team, GM, and transaction — and puts your verdict on all of it. Sign in to cast your Fan Verdict on Andrew Benintendi, see where the crowd lands, and argue the call. FanVerdicts also brings its own read — performance, sentiment, and Contract Value Index — as one honest input alongside the crowd's. Where FanVerdicts has weighed in so far: Contract Value Index D+, Performance C, Sentiment B.
The crowd's Fan Verdict moves in real time as fans vote on this profile. FanVerdicts' own read updates as new data lands — performance recalculates when MLB game stats post, sentiment shifts with media coverage and fan discussion, and the Contract Value Index recomputes when contract terms change. Contract details below show the structure (years, total value, average annual value, guarantees) behind the Contract Value Index read.
For league-wide context, the MLB hub has team rankings, GM report cards, the transactions feed, and live scoreboards. The MLB player rankings page sorts every active player by performance and contract value within their position.
