Indians prospect makes history with 4-HR game
Will Benson, known for his incredible raw power, made history on Thursday night, becoming the first player in Class A Lake County history to homer four times in one night.
Benson homered in each of his first four at-bats and finished 4-for-5 with eight RBIs in a 12-6 win over South Bend.
"To look into the eyes of my teammates and to see that they were amazed, that's what made it, 'Oh, this is legit,'" Benson told MiLB.com. "Most homers are cool, but this time, everyone's faces were different. It was nice."
The Indians’ No. 25 prospect now has six multihomer games in his career, however Thursday’s effort was his first of more than two homers. It was also the first time since 2014 (Mike Ford) that a player in the Minors hit four homers in one game.
Benson put the Captains on the board early with a two-run homer in the first and just kept the momentum rolling as he hit a solo homer in the third, a grand slam in the fourth and another solo blast in the sixth.
Benson, 20, has always had plenty of power and it was his power/speed combo that excited scouts prior to the 2016 Draft, where the Indians selected him 14th overall. However, Benson has struggled offensively and hasn’t hit above .240 since being drafted.
While he did set a career high with 22 homers last year, Benson also struck out 152 times and finished with a .180 average in 123 games for Lake County.
Benson has struck out 18 times through 12 games this season, but is batting .341 with six homers.