The 21-year-old held his own against older competition, showing off a mature offensive approach while continuing to contribute in all facets of the game. But he is still searching for a big breakout at the plate.
A few seasons ago, Frederick Bencosme had some serious juice in the Orioles system. In 2022, just two years after signing for $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic, Bencosme was getting people’s attention. He played at three different levels that year, spending most of his time in Delmarva. There he posted a nice .842 OPS while being nearly two years younger than the average player at the level. It seemed the Orioles may have struck gold with this under-the-radar signing.
Bencosme, now 21 years old, has continued to climb up the minor league ladder in the years since. He spent all of 2023 in High-A Aberdeen, and he just wrapped a full season with Double-A Bowie.
Over 125 games in 2024, Bencosme posted a .240/.318/.348 slash line, which worked out to a 94 wRC+. He did hit eight home runs, more than he had hit in the entirety of his career coming into the season (seven), and he swiped 28 bases on 33 attempts. There is some good stuff here, but it is never ideal to be a below-average player with the bat.
Bencosme’s growth at the plate has been slow. A FanGraphs scouting report from June describes him as a “skills-over-tools” prospect with a “precocious feel for contact.” In short, he gets the bat on the ball, but does not hit it particularly hard.
That is backed up by a few of Bencosme’s numbers from this past season. His .277 BABIP was the lowest full-season number of his career, an unfortunate reality of facing better competition while making weaker contact. But it does seem like he is making adjustments. In 2024, his walk rate dipped just below 10% and his strikeout rate climbed more than two points to 16.3%, markers of someone getting more aggressive. That resulted in a .348 slugging percentage, a sub-par number but his best work since he broke out with Delmarva in mid-2022.
The caveat here is that Bencosme is still young. Baseball Reference puts him at 2.6 years younger than the average player in Double-A. That is significant, and serves to put the performance into perspective. The upper crust prospects tend to overcome those age gaps with little issue. Bencosme is not considered to be part of that class, but that’s not an indictment on his future. Plenty of productive big leagues have followed a more traditional, linear path that allowed them to grow into their skill set.
Speaking of growth, Bencosme is yet to undergo any sort of physical transformation as a pro. The shortstop is listed at 6-foot, 160 pounds, which would be on the slighter side of a player in the upper minors. FanGraphs notes that there has been “basically no change to Bencosme’s physicality for the last two years, and his narrow build suggests [it] may not [happen].” Again, that is not necessarily a bad thing, but it likely does limit his power potential at the plate.
However, staying smaller could be advantageous for Bencosme on the defensive side of the ball. That is considered a strength of his. Again, that scouting report indicates that the shortstop is “slick and skillful” in the field, capable of “incredible defensive plays because of his hands.” However, he lacks the “monster arm strength you’d ideally want in a shortstop.”
The Orioles don’t seem like they are dead set on keeping Bencosme at shortstop exclusively. He saw about one-third of his innings at second base in 2024, and in prior seasons he mixed in third base occasionally as well. The ability to move around the diamond will only serve him well, especially if his bat is closer to passable than exemplary.
Bencosme does make an impact on the bases. He has swiped 28 bases in back-to-back seasons with nearly identical success rates (82% in ‘23, 85% in ‘24), although his sprint speeds don’t jump out. It is yet another avenue where the youngster adds value. These sorts of things really start to add up when it comes to picking bench bats in the big leagues.
Those aren’t conversations that Bencosme will figure into just yet. He will turn 22 this offseason and certainly still has some seasoning to do. Fortunately, the Orioles don’t have any tough decisions to make with regards to Bencosme this winter either. He won’t be Rule 5-eligible until next December, by which point he will either be firmly in the big league discussion or decidedly not.
Bencosme seems to be on the path of a utility player at this time. He does a lot of things well, but is not a standout in any one area. Perhaps he could be the Ryan Flaherty of this era of Orioles baseball? He does have youth on his side, and is quite experienced for someone that is yet to turn 22. That could leave the door open for some major development in 2025. The pressure will be on his bat—in particular his power production—to propel him into a different stratosphere of prospect.
As for the immediate future, starting off back at Double-A Bowie in 2025 has to be on the table. Bencosme did not exactly dominate the level and started to trail off towards the end of the season (.583 OPS in September). Plus, there is no one in High-A Aberdeen that is pushing for a promotion, so there is plenty of room for Bencosme to work. Should he have a successful month or two, a jump to Triple-A Norfolk would position him well for 2026, where he could factor into the Orioles’ utility competition.
Previous 2024 prospect reviews: Heston Kjerstad
Tomorrow: Justin Armbruester