Why under-the-radar Will Benson believes he can be 'silent assassin' for Cincinnati Reds

GOODYEAR, Arizona — Cleveland Guardians pitcher Xzavion Curry was “shocked” when the Guardians traded outfielder Will Benson to the Cincinnati Reds early in spring training last year.

The two grew up together playing ball in the Atlanta area — “he’s literally like a brother” — and Curry might have sensed better than anybody else in Cleveland what would come next for the team’s former first-round draft pick.

“I love to see him killing it in the bigs,” Curry said.

Wait till Curry and the Guardians get a load of Benson this year if last season’s impressive finish, all the work over the winter and the early returns this spring are any indication.

The power-speed threat that Benson has begun to leverage into big-league performance might be the most overlooked key to any winning formula the Reds put together this season — certainly the biggest key living in the shadows of Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and a refurbished pitching staff.

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“I’ll let that breathe,” Benson said with a smile. “I’ll be the silent assassin in the background.”

If Benson looks like he’s on a mission this spring, that’s because he is.

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After an early season demotion last year, and with a little help from rehabbing Joey Votto on approach and outlook while at Triple-A, Benson became a left-handed force at the bottom of the lineup for the Reds’ surprising contenders, earning increased trust and playing time in manager David Bell's hyper-platoon system. Benson hit .292 with a .915 OPS in that 4 1/2-month stretch, all 19 of his steals and all eight of his triples — two off the league lead — coming in those 100 games.

Now Benson, 25, tries to turn that 100-game surge into as close to 162 starts as he can force with his overall value — as much with the improved-looking defense and inspired base-running he’s already shown this spring as with how he handles hitting left-handers.

“I know he’s committed to that,” manager David Bell said. “We talked at the beginning of spring training how the defense and the base running all play a part of that too. It’s not just about how he does against lefties.

“If he’s playing defense the way we know he’s capable of and bringing a lot to the table on the bases and all that,” Bell added, “it’s going to help him get more of those starts.”

Benson’s ability to pick up his production where he left off last year and increase his playing time could be especially important for a team that took a potentially significant hit to its lineup Friday when rookie third baseman Noelvi Marte was suspended 80 games by MLB for testing positive for PEDs.

Benson, who worked this offseason with former Cleveland teammate Steven Kwan — a two-time Gold Glove outfielder — said Kwan gave him the same advice about how to grow beyond a platoon player that Bell expressed when camp opened.

“He said, ‘Bro, the only reason I played and stopped platooning in Cleveland was because I brought more to the table than just one facet of the game,’ which at that point I was thinking it was hitting,” Benson said. “I’d been working all offseason on my defense anyway, and also just cleaning up my stride lengths when I’m running, but once I heard that, It’s like, ‘All right, bro, just be complete.’

“Every facet of my game needs to be well above average, and I will be rewarded. At least that’s the thought.”

There’s still that part about hitting lefties better. With the fraction of the at-bats against left-handers, Benson hit just .146 with a .400 OPS (.297, .938 vs. righties).

That’s why he asked Bell and coaches to let him load up on as many looks against lefties as he can get this spring — from live batting practices to games.

“If I’m going to be the best player that I can possibly be, I need to be playing regardless of who is on that mound,” Benson said.

The team seems to view him as a guy who could be a big everyday lefty bat for the lineup, the kind of hitter that almost every successful playoff team’s lineup tends to have.

When asked this spring about a couple of the Reds’ lefty hitters improving at hitting left-handed pitching, Reds hitting coach Joel McKeithan said:

“Benson’s still growing and learning who he is. You saw those swings kind of change throughout the year last year. And there’s nothing within his swing that shows that he should struggle with lefties.”

Nobody’s anointing him as the lineup’s next Votto. But a step up in an everyday role could go a long way toward filling the void left by the Reds’ former MVP — who was producing like an All-Star as recently as 2021.

Bell said he already expects Benson to be in the lineup at least close to every day.

“The way he played at the end of last year, he’s put himself in a nice position,” Bell said.

Between that and the way Benson has looked in the early going this spring, it’s tempting to wonder why the Guardians traded him for a low-A outfielder when they did.

“When we called him up, we probably had him miscast,” said Terry Francona, the Guardians manager at the time. “We had him in a role as a reserve. And it’s hard enough coming to the major leagues for the first time. Pinch hitting was hard for him. But the kid never said a word. He never made any excuses. He never quit. He’s a great kid.

“Just because you maybe trade somebody or they go to a different team, it doesn’t change your respect or affection for people.”

The Guardians and Reds have gone in different directions since that trade. Which could make Benson the right player at the right time for what the Reds have planned this year — and the Reds the right team for what Benson has planned.

Even if all eyes are on the guys in the spotlight like De La Cruz, McLain and Hunter Greene.

“Let the boys make all the noise,” Benson said with a smile, “and then I’ll get my good, old fastball out over the plate and hit it.”

Of course, the silent assassin might not stay so silent for long at that rate.

“They’re gonna know,” he said. “I’m prepared for that as well.”

And what that might mean for the team?

“We’re dangerous,” Benson said. “We’re super dangerous.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Will who? Cincinnati Reds' OF Benson's mission to be 'silent assassin'