Player: Robert
Benincasa
Position: RP
Throws: Right
Hometown/HS: Tampa,
FL/Armwood HS
Height/Weight: 6-2,
195
Drafted: 7th round
and 234th overall pick of the Washington Nationals (2012)
Background/Stats:
Benincasa was drafted in the 33rd round (and the 1000th
overall pick) of the 2009 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He earned first team
All-State honors during his time at Armwood High School in Tampa, and elected
to attend Florida State University rather than sign with Toronto. As a freshman, in 2010 Benincasa was shuttled
between the bullpen and starting rotation, making a few starts mid-week for the
Seminoles. In 2011 longtime FSU manager showed a bit more confidence in
Benincasa, utilizing the righthander in mid-relief and setup situations.
Benincasa went 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA and 24 K in 32.2 IP over 20
appearances. Benincasa’s 2012 was by far
his most successful season, as he truly came into his own as the Seminoles
closer. He went 4-2, 1.32 ERA with 16 saves and racked up 58 strikeouts (to
only 7 walks) in 41 innings and helped Florida State advance to the College
World Series. The Washington Nationals selected Benincasa with the 234th
overall pick, and according to Baseball America he signed for $145,000.
Firsthand
Observations: Even as a longtime Seminole fan, I knew very little about
Benincasa before the 2012 season. I had
seen him pitch in a few games on television with mixed results, but those that
I talked to were pretty high on his potential and arsenal. Fortunately, I was able to see Benincasa
pitch many times over the course of the spring and summer. Listed at 6-2, 195, Benincasa has a nice tall
frame and thick legs. Unlike many relievers, Benincasa works from a full windup
when runners are not on base, and his movements in the windup are clean,
balanced, and athletic. He does a fine job of staying overtop of his body
throughout his delivery and features solid posture, but his release point and
arm angles can be a bit inconsistent, particularly with offspeed pitches.
However, since Benincasa will almost certainly be used exclusively as a
reliever “tipping” his pitches should not be too much of an issue, as the release
point inconsistency is relatively miniscule.
Benincasa offers a true three-piece mix, as his fastball typically works
between 90 and 93 miles per hour. The pitch features some late arm-side run,
and Benincasa showed solid command, particularly glove-side. His primary offspeed pitch of choice is his
slider, a sharp 78-82 mph offering that has late two-plane depth. Benincasa
proved to be particularly adroit at commanding the slider throughout FSU’s 2012
season, and it appears as if he was able to continue the trend with the Auburn
Doubledays of the NYPL, as the righthander only surrendered 3 walks in his 23.1
summer innings. Finally, Benincasa also
showed a decent feel for a low 80’s changeup, but he rarely needed to utilize
the pitch at the collegiate level.
Going Forward: After
dominating in 23.1 innings in the short-season NYPL (2-0, 3.09 ERA, 32 K, 27 H,
3 BB) like a college arm should, I would expect Benincasa to break 2013 with
Hagerstown, Washington’s Low-A club, but I also would not be surprised to see
him start the year with their High-A club in Potomac. The entire package is
nothing too sexy—the fastball is solid-average, the slider a solid pitch and I
could argue for a plus grade, while the changeup is currently fringe-average
with room for further development. He
probably will not end up being an impact arm at the MLB level, but I would be
surprised if, health permitting, Benincasa is not a setup man or middle
reliever in the big leagues.
Etc.: See this
excellent YouTube video
by Jeff Reese/Bullpen Banter in order to form your own opinions.
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