Guardians OF Will Benson's debut, a story of Taco Bell and patience being rewarded

Cheesy Gordita Crunches are delicious, but nothing can compare to getting the phone call about which every minor leaguer dreams.

Guardians outfielder Will Benson received that call this past week, one that signaled the end of a long, winding journey through the minors to the majors. When his phone rang he was in, of all places, a Taco Bell.

"I was in Taco Bell because my girl wanted Taco Bell," Benson said, laughing. "I didn't order anything. I got the postgame spread. I was just doing that out of love for her. I knew it was gonna be a long road and she was hungry. Gotta make her happy, you know?"

With the necessary tacos in hand and the phone call of a lifetime received, Benson quickly went over to the hotel where his parents were staying with the team on the road.

"It was crazy. We literally went crazy in valet, just jumping around, screaming," Benson said. "And it was such an amazing feeling. I can remember hugging my dad and hugging my mom and feeling that love in that circle. It felt good."

Guardians further commit to youth movement after inactive deadline; Franmil Reyes optioned

Aside from the surreal nature of the call — and a long-time dream realized — there was another reason for Benson to celebrate so much. He had waited long enough. Benson was the club's first-round selection in the 2016 draft. He thought he could hit the majors the next year, but instead waited six as he worked his way to Cleveland. That journey, though, helped to shape him.

"I thought I would be in there the next year. But as you all saw, I hit the fan and patience had to kick in quick," Benson said. "And I’m very thankful for those moments because then I grew and I became the great baseball player that you all will be seeing right now. So, yeah, I think it was just a test of what I was character-wise and again it was an opportunity to see who was in my corner, who’s gonna help me get through this tough time and that’s when my family just came in with flying colors and just helped."

That doesn't mean it was an easy journey. Benson credited his ability to keep pushing for six years, as he fell down the prospect rankings and struggled to advance through the system, to his faith ands family.

"They're there when it was hard, they're there when it was great, times when I wanted to let it all go, times when I wanted to scream off the top of a mountain, you know what I mean?" Benson said. "They were just there for me. They kept me motivated and my community is huge. The visions and things that I have that I want to do for where I played at growing up, that kept me motivated, for sure, to keep going. And as a kid, I had a dream."

Like every other prospect across baseball, Benson lost the chance for a full minor league year during the 2020, COVID-shortened season. He was able to hit well enough with the RubberDucks to receive the promotion to Triple-A last year. This season, it began to come together. Benson hit .279 with a .948 OPS, 17 home runs, 20 doubles and 45 RBIs in 89 games with Triple-A Columbus.

Part of the solution was former Cleveland infielder and current Guardians minor league field coordinator John McDonald, who imparted some wisdom that led to Benson re-examining his approach as a hitter.

"I finally learned to play the game," Benson said when asked what was different this year. "[McDonald] came in the beginning of July or towards the end of June and he just said, ‘Hey man, the best hitters are hitters first. The best power hitters are hitters first.’ And I just went back and just truly watched video to try to dissect and analyze. I studied Barry Bonds. I studied [Mike] Trout. Just trying to just watch and learn and replicate what they’re doing and most of the time they’re just putting together good ABs, you know what I mean?"

Benson is one of five outfielders vying for at-bats along with Steven Kwan, Myles Straw, Oscar Gonzalez and Nolan Jones. The Guardians are letting the kids play to an extreme degree and won't get all five into the lineup, unless one of those five are manning first base, which Benson can.

Franmil Reyes being optioned to Triple-A opened up the designated hitter spot, affording manager Terry Francona some additional flexibility with the lineup. Though the outfield isn't the only group that will benefit. The Guardians will often use the DH spot to give Jose Ramirez or Amed Rosario a day off their feet, which will also give former top prospect Tyler Freeman a chance to receive at-bats.

Benson and Freeman brought the number of Guardians players to make their rookie debuts in 2022 to 12, and Hunter Gaddis became the 13th on Friday night in a 9-3 loss to the Houston Astros which dropped their record to 54-52.

The youngest roster in baseball has allowed players making their debuts to be surrounded by familiar faces. Together, they're trying to chase down a playoff spot."It's such a blessing to see their faces and to know that they've all walked a similar path that I'm about to go down," Benson said. "I love all [of them] as a brother. And it's something we all share together and obviously the energy and camaraderie and the fun we were having in Columbus, I'm sure those things are just gonna happen here."

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Will Benson's debut, a story of Taco Bell and patience being rewarded