You're going to struggle. You're going to do well. You can't really let the past or the day before - whether you had a good day or bad day - dictate the day you have that certain day.
Andrew Benintendi
I think the biggest adjustment I've made before coming here was going from High A to Double A. I was going in facing pitchers who had more experience and knew how to throw all their stuff for strikes and in hitter's counts, things like that.
Baseball is a hard game. There's going to be ups and downs.
I don't think it's a secret that I'm not a fan of all the attention and the media, stuff like that, but I understand it's part of it, and I have to do it.
Obviously, there's not as much flex in a wood bat as in a metal bat, so I'm still trying to adjust to that.
I'm just going to go out there and contribute the best I can.
It's definitely a dream come true playing for the Red Sox.
The most important thing is to just stay constant and not get too high or too low.
My job is just to go out and play hard every day.
I try to focus on what I can control, and that's just playing hard and playing well.
I think my size sometimes catches people off guard, but I don't think size matters when it comes to power. Mechanics and technique and bat speed matter more.
Growing up, I was a big Red Sox fan and looked up to guys like Dustin Pedroia, who's obviously not the biggest guy, but the way he competes, the way he works, it was motivating for me.
I think baseball was really reality when I was a freshman in high school.
That's the beautiful thing about baseball. You can be any size and be successful.
I can't do much about my height, but I can do a lot of things in strength and speed and work on that. I'm going to try to do that the best I can to make me a better ballplayer.
I wouldn't describe myself as a home run hitter. I'm just trying to hit the ball hard in the gaps. Just backspinning baseballs and hitting line drives.
I think once I see everybody and go through every team and their pitchers, I'll get an idea of what they like to do. And they'll see what I like to do and swing at. I think there's always something you've got to adjust to.
I think my mindset and my approach is to hit the ball hard, whether it be first pitch or work the count.
I try to stay aggressive for the most part, dictating, whatever the situation may be. Just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win.
It's a long season, and if you can go back and forth pretty well, you'll end up OK.
I grew up watching Pedroia play.
I think if you're not confident, you're not in the right place.
I come from a pretty humble family, and I try to be a humble guy.
The big thing I noticed from High-A to Double-A is that when you have an advantage count as a hitter, you're not going to get as many fastballs. Adjusting to the 2-0 changeup, that 3-1 off-speed pitch - things like that. I think my swing can stay the same; I just was getting myself out.
Going into Portland, I was just trying to not step on anybody's toes, stay quiet, and play my game. I think I was just trying to figure out the kind of sequences I was going to see as a hitter and learn from that.
Being stronger really helped my game.
I always knew I could make it in baseball.
Playing for Midland, that helped me get to Arkansas. It was really all I ever wanted to do.
The more games I play, the more I feel comfortable.
