Born Into the Game: How Drew Benes’ Childhood Experiences Shape His Coaching Today 

What does baseball mean to Drew Benes? Frankly, it’s his life. The game has given him so much, and now he’s giving back by dedicating his time and energy to make a positive impact on pitchers with varying levels of experience as a pitching coach for the Indianapolis Indians.

As the son of Andy Benes, San Diego’s No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 First-Year Player Draft and 1993 National League All-Star, Drew has experienced a world that only few have come to know. The people he’s met, the experiences he’s shared and the information he’s absorbed gives him one of the most unique stories in the Victory Field home clubhouse this season.

The 35-year-old coach and oldest of seven children looks back on his childhood with fond memories and is certainly proud of his upbringing. Benes is thankful for the lessons his parents taught him and how they’ve shaped him as a person throughout his life. He credits his parents for instilling in him the teachings that now influence how he coaches his children and players.

Some of Drew’s best memories and lessons learned were the result of a childhood spent around major league baseball watching his father and some of baseball’s all-time icons play the game. The lessons he’s learned have been incorporated into his coaching philosophy, giving him a different lens that helps players develop.

"Just be a professional, do things the right way and treat people well and it will carry you far in your career,” Drew affirms.

His experience in a big-league clubhouse cemented his belief that his perspective on the game can have a positive impact on the next generation of ballplayers, but nobody has taught him more about baseball than his father. Growing up, Drew always had a good relationship with his dad and is incredibly thankful for that bond.

“Dad was in and out during the season,” Drew said. “But it was always nice to have him around and always fun to have him show his support.”

After all, his father has always been quite the resource to have while he’s navigated his playing and coaching career.

Andy, the oldest of two brothers to spend time in the big leagues, was a three-sport athlete who grew up in Evansville, Ind. He attended the University of Evansville, where he played football, basketball and baseball before realizing his professional future would be on the mound. Andy completed a successful college career that featured many highlights and achievements – the biggest being an upset victory over top-seeded Arizona State as a junior in the NCAA tournament. That accomplishment was the first of many to come. Andy went on to become the NL strikeout king in 1994, finish third in NL Cy Young voting behind John Smoltz and Kevin Brown in 1996 and earn a gold medal in the 1998 Olympics – not to mention, sharing and competing on the field with his younger brother, Alan, in St. Louis.

Growing up, Drew cherished the opportunity to go to work with his father. Whether it was in San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis or Arizona, spending his early summers as a bat boy running around the clubhouse with his father and many legendary players provided Drew with memories that few children experience. He fondly recalls Tony Gwynn’s infectious laugh roaring throughout the locker room, Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson sharing their wisdom, and countless hours spent playing ping pong with pitcher Rick Ankiel and his father’s other teammates. It was in these hours, spent among some of baseball’s best, that Drew discovered his love for America’s pastime and desire to make an impact in baseball like his father.

“I love the game and I love being around it all the time,” Drew recalls. “Just growing up, it was super fun to watch [my] dad and uncle compete.”

Growing up in a family-centric household, one of Drew’s favorite baseball memories came in 2002 when Andy and Alan – suiting up for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, respectively – faced each other as competitors. In one of the game’s most historic rivalries, Andy earned the final win of his career while outlasting his younger brother with six strikeouts and a complete game. In the pre-designated hitter era of National League baseball, the two also faced each other head-to-head at the plate. In the bottom of an 11-run third inning, Andy singled twice against his brother – the second driving in a run – as the Cardinals batted around the order.

“I was the bat boy,” Drew said. “And it was really cool to see Andy versus Alan at Busch Stadium with my whole family in attendance.”

Andy appeared in six more games – two in the postseason – before hanging up his cleats permanently. He finished his 14-year career with a 155-139 record, 3.97 ERA (1106er/2505.1ip) and exactly 2,000 career strikeouts.

When Andy’s career was ending in 2002, Drew’s was beginning to ramp up.

As a three-year starter at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, Drew thrived as an infielder and pitcher with a live arm great power. One of his most notable high school performances included a game where he went 3-for-3 with two grand slams and nine RBI—and scouts took notice.

Drew was recruited by many colleges and universities. After much consideration, he eventually committed to Arkansas State (Jonesboro) University over the likes of St. Louis University and his father’s alma mater, the University of Evansville (Ind.). Drew credits his family for giving him nothing but love and support throughout childhood when it came to baseball and never pushing him toward anything he didn’t want to pursue. Today, Drew does the same with his own children and hopes that his two sons and two daughters discover their own passions in life.

Looking back on his freshman year as a two-way player for the Red Wolves, Drew slashed .234/.288/.440. After transitioning primarily to the mound in 2009, he was 4-4 with an 8.41 ERA (40.2ip). After two years of college, Drew was selected by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals in the 35th round (1069th) of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft and went on to spend three seasons in the Cardinals’ farm system.

After a short-lived playing career, Drew knew he wasn’t finished with professional baseball. In 2015, he set his sights on coaching and, with the help of his father, took control of the St. Louis Prospects Baseball Club, a high school and youth baseball organization that focuses on the development of young athletes. In two seasons with the organization, Drew sharpened his coaching skills and gained valuable experience mentoring and providing leadership. In 2017, Drew returned to professional baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and began his coaching journey with Single-A West Virginia. Prior to joining Indianapolis as bullpen coach in 2023, his coaching career included stops with the GCL Pirates, Single-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona.

In his coaching career, Drew has had the opportunity to work with a handful of the Pirates’ top pitching prospects such as Mike Burrows, Quinn Priester, Paul Skenes and, most recently, MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 Pirates prospect Braxton Ashcraft. Priester and Skenes went on to make their major league debuts after working with Benes.

“It’s very rewarding to see them take advantage of their opportunities while finding success,” Drew said.

Drew knows the game reaps many rewards but also poses challenges along the way. However, being around the game his whole life, he knows that if he carries himself “the right way” and trusts the process, he will find success.

Through his collective experiences, Benes has learned two of the most important aspects of coaching are taking the ability you were given and maximizing your potential while working in professional baseball.

“Things don’t always go well. Whether you have success or you don’t, you learn a ton along the way and you’re a better person for it. You can go to sleep at night knowing that you took the ability you were given, and you maxed it out.” Benes said. He also added that his goal is to take the journey in stride and do everything he can to help his players develop.

“Whether they play 20 years in the big leagues or 20 days in the minor leagues, hopefully we’re able to have a positive impact on the rest of their life. That’s the goal, no matter if you’re in rookie ball or the big leagues. My goal and mission are to impact guys positively and help them along the way,” Drew pridefully mentioned.

In the future, Drew hopes to continue making positive contributions to the game and help the pitchers he coaches achieve their goals. In his personal life, he looks forward to spending time with his family and sharing experiences with them in Bradenton, Fla., the city in which he and his wife Taylor call home.

On the diamond, Drew Benes will continue to take it day-by-day with aspirations of one day making it to the big leagues as a major league pitching coach. In the meantime, he’ll continue to share the messages he’s learned along the way, with hopes of leaving an imprint in professional baseball.