The Orioles signed infielder Frederick Bencosme as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in August 2020 as part of the club’s push to bring in more international talent. The 6-foot, 160-pound infielder began the 2023 season at High-A Aberdeen and entered the campaign as a career .311/.376/.425 minor league hitter.
Low-A Delmarva manager Felipe Alou Jr. and Aberdeen manager Roberto Mercado chatted with PressBox about the 20-year-old Bencosme.
PressBox: What makes Bencosme special? What sets him apart?
Felipe Alou Jr.: I was able to see Freddy the year before at our [Dominican] academy and playing through that whole summer. This kid’s got ability. He wasn’t a big bonus guy, but we know for a fact that … before we signed him, he played in a lot of baseball tournaments. He was well-known. This kid, he plays the game the right way. He understands the game. He understands what he needs to do to prepare, to compete every day. This is a kid that might not be a big-money guy. I think in terms of playing baseball and game awareness, he’s really advanced.
Roberto Mercado: Barrel control. He hits the ball to all fields, great hand-eye, puts the ball in play and as he continues to grow and get stronger he’s got that gap-to-gap power. Good swing decisions for such a young age. For him to go up multiple levels in one season is pretty impressive. … He had a little bit of a struggle in Aberdeen, but it’s kind of expected. A kid that young coming up and seeing some velocity and seeing some different shapes, he had a little bit of trouble but I have full confidence in him and his ability to grow as a player.
PB: What kind of relationship did you develop with Bencosme?
FA: I know Freddy longer, obviously, because I had him in the past [in the Dominican Republic]. We’ve always talked, text each other back and forth. The COVID year, he was one of the kids that I was in charge of staying on and … make sure they were working out. We knew what they were doing. We were in touch a lot. He would send me a lot of videos of him hitting and working out, so our relationship goes a little longer. That was really a thrill when I got him last summer.
RM: In a short amount of time, we connected really well. I try to keep in contact with all the guys in the offseason and making sure he’s continuing to get his work in, which he did. He struggled at times early on when he got to Aberdeen and I told him, “Hey, this is part of the process, man. You’re playing against 22-, 23-, 24-year-olds and you’re steps ahead. All these frustrating times are going to be great learning experiences for you to continue to grow as a player, man.” To be in High-A at that age is pretty special. If you look at the entire season of what he did, it was pretty special.
PB: What’s your favorite Bencosme story?
FA: I remember when we sent him up to Aberdeen, he texted me and I know he wanted to play for our winter ball team, [Leones del Escogido]. So he texted me about it like, “I’m trying to finish strong so you guys notice me.” We ended up not getting him. [Águilas Cibaeñas] got him, so that was kind of cool that he ended up [close to home]. I know he probably wanted to play in front of his relatives, family at one point there in his career.
Photo Credit: Joey Gardner