Michael Benjamin catches a runner from Oregon in a pickle. Benjamin was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round of the 2013 MLB draft. (Photo by Molly Smith)Despite being eliminated by California State Fullerton in the NCAA Fullerton Regional, the baseball season is just hitting its stride for many Sun Devils.
Eighteen current players are playing in summer leagues, while six Sun Devils will be starting their professional careers.
Drafted in the 13th round by the Colorado Rockies, third baseman Michael Benjamin is one of them.
Ever since signing with the Rockies on June 13, Benjamin has made a good impression on the organization. His manager with the Tri-City Dust Devils, Drew Saylor, has already noticed his work ethic.
“He just goes out there and plays the game hard — very much a gamer, as people like to say. That's one of the things I like, he loves to get dirty,” Saylor said. “That's one of the things I talk (about) with my guys. I want to make sure their jerseys are dirty and they're playing hard every night."
At age 29, Saylor is the youngest manager in professional baseball, younger than many players. He is just three years removed from his minor league-playing career in the Florida Marlins and Houston Astros organizations and is in his second year coaching.
He hopes the Rockies allow Benjamin to stick around the rest of the season. Historically, his wish should come true, as the Rockies don’t like to rush their first-year players.
Benjamin may force the organization’s hand, though. A quick start saw him hitting .300 through his first three games with two doubles. However, he is hitless in the three games since.
The adjustment from college to the pros can cause trouble for many players, and Benjamin said he knows there is still a lot for him to learn.
“(It’s) kind of like going into college and being a freshman again. There are just new things you've got to learn,” he said. “The game is still the same, but as far as everything else goes, it's a little different."
Luckily for the former ASU third baseman, the pitching he faced in the Pac-12 prepared him well.
“You're seeing a lot more fastballs (in the Northwest League). As far as I've seen, the Pac-12 pitching is better,” Benjamin said. “We've got a lot more guys throwing off-speed pitches for strikes.”
While Benjamin continues to play with the Rockies’ farm team this season, ASU head coach Tim Esmay and his staff will be mulling over how to replace him.
Benjamin said he could see a laundry list of possible replacements, but one name stands out.
“We've got a lot of good guys … (like) Dalton DiNatale, who played first this year. He came in as a third baseman, so he could definitely fill that hole,” he said. “That's one of the main reasons we get out of there as juniors: to let the freshmen and sophomores fill those roles and get their feet wet."
Benjamin said before the season that he and the other upperclassmen decided that they would only return if things didn’t go the way they “presumed they would.”
“Now we’re here,” he said.
Here to stay, it seems. At least Saylor thinks so.
“I think he's going to do really, really well," he said.
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
