By Troy Juhn
Mike Benedetto is very familiar with the Utica Blue Sox, despite this summer being his first with the team. Growing up Mike went to a ton of Blue Sox games, and is now very humbled to be a part of the team for this summer. I spoke to him about what it means to represent his hometown team.
Q: What does it finally feel like to be a member of the Blue Sox?
Mike: Troy, I can’t even begin to tell you. Growing up, and being able to go to games and watch with my pop. It’s really the first time I’ll be able to play close to home since high school. Shoutout Legion Baseball. All my family will be able to get to see me play this summer. Representing the team is more than just the school you play at, it goes beyond that. To represent Utica means a lot to me. I’m very blessed.
Q: What were some of your favorite childhood memories going to Blue Sox games?
Mike: Me and my dad are very big baseball fans, so I grew up around the game. And once the Blue Sox finally came to town, it was one of the only opportunities to watch good and competitive baseball. And ever since the beginning, the Blue Sox have gone about things in the right way. Never no showboating, no selfish play. It’s all about team baseball and how the program is shaped really stood out to me even as a young kid so it’s been working toward it ever since and now I’m grateful for the spot on the team.
Q: What is your one main goal you want to accomplish this summer?
Mike: My whole life I don’t really care much about me. I just focus on winning. When everyone tries to win, everyone is brought in and you’re playing team baseball, stats don’t matter much. Nowadays a lot of kids are individualizing the game for themselves and making it all about them, which is a shame but the Blue Sox program stood out to me. Coach Delett laid out to me what the morals are and I was brought in from there. To me, I really just try to focus on winning as the main objective.
Q: What should the expectation be for this team after they fell short last year? How competitive should the team be?
Mike: I know it’s expected to compete with the best, especially with the Amsterdam Mohawks. Nobody on our team is going to settle for less than what it should be. Watching a couple of my buddies play in the PGCBL last year and seeing how the Blue Sox played last season, I can’t wait to join this culture and build off of last year.
Q: How would you describe your approach at the plate, hitting style and how you play the field?
Mike: I’m just trying to win every pitch. I’m very competitive at the plate, which is a good and bad thing sometimes, but whether the count is 0-2 or 3-0, it doesn’t matter, I’m just trying to win every pitch. I have a lot of speed in the field, that’s another huge part of my game.
Q: Who is one player in Major League Baseball that you like to compare yourself to the most?
Mike: How I would play? I would like to say Juan Soto, but obviously I’m not on that level of play. But he shows up in the big moments when it matters most, he’s one of the most enthusiastic players in the league. The things Soto does to impact a game and those moments and it’s what I pride myself in. It’s what I live for.