In the second of our 3-part series on the career of Evansville legend Andy Benes, we concentrate primarily on his accomplishments in 1988.  From being the top pick in the MLB draft to winning a gold medal in the Summer Olympics, it was an unforgettable ride.  If you missed Monday's opening story on Benes' time in Evansville from high school through his college days, you can read it by clicking here.  Check back on Friday

Andy Benes was taken by the San Diego Padres as the top overall pick in the 1988 MLB Draft.  Today, players join the minor league systems of the teams that draft them within days of being chosen.  For Benes, his schedule included something else – the Olympics.  Baseball was an exhibition sport in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.  He worked with the Padres to make the dream a reality and enjoyed the chance to represent his country. 

"Honestly, I did not think about it until the summer before.  It was not until early in the spring (1988) when I was throwing really hard that it became a possibility and I thought that I may be invited to play on this team," he explained.  "It was a national team and really great players from all over the country were trying to be on it, but I was the top pitcher in the country and I knew I would have a legitimate opportunity." 

"It was a little different for me because I had been married for a little over a year at that time and we had just found out that my wife was pregnant with our son.  It is serious when you get married, but it adds more seriousness when you are expecting a child.  I was the only guy that was married, so my deal with Olympic committee was that I want to play but I am getting back to Evansville or my wife was coming to us every couple of weeks.  That way it will break it enough that it would be doable, otherwise thank you for having me and I am off to my pro career."

Luckily for Benes, that is how it all worked out.  They flew him back and forth as the national team prepped for the games while his wife was able to go on some of the trips with the team.  This made the situation much more bearable as he was able to be with his wife while also working towards the Olympics. 

"What a privilege to represent your country.  Just to be considered for it, then to actually go.  Jim Abbott was one of the most decorated amateur pitchers, Ben McDonald was at LSU, our pitching coach was his college coach and he was the #1 overall pick the next year," Benes exclaimed.  "I knew where I was going to be, about third in the pecking order and even though that's not what I would have chosen, it was okay.  In pro ball, you are not going to jump in at the age of 21 and be the top guy.  I learned a lot from that because for a year or so, I was the focus of the team, but now I was one of the guys.  In some ways, that was really good for me."

The dream of every Olympian is to receive the gold medal.  Benes is one of the lucky few who have gotten to experience that dream.

"I can't tell you how special of a moment that was.  I had both hands above my head and when the girl put the medal on me, there is no better feeling than that.  I watch the Summer Olympics every four years, and also the winter games.  It is really hard to win a medal, you have to be born in the right time, at least with baseball, born in right year to participate," he said.  "You have to work really hard, the competition is really tough and things have to fall your way.  At the end of the day, our team was better than everybody else, but Japan was a formidable opponent." 

"Before heading to Seoul, we played Cuba, but they boycotted and they had basically a Triple A team.  People ask me what the best game I ever pitched as an amateur was and I said I beat them in Charlotte; that was a group of men against 20 year olds, which was our team.  It was an amazing group.  Would we have won if they had been there?  I have no idea but it would have been interesting."

An experience as special as that is not lost on Benes.  He was on a team that made its mark as the best in the world.  It brought some great PR to Evansville and UE while also leading him into his professional career.  Prior to the games, he had it worked out with the Padres to be able to play in the games before transitioning into their minor league system.  After the United States defeated Japan by a 5-3 final in the gold medal game, Benes came back home and quickly met with San Diego.

"Pro ball is a lot different.  They sent someone to Evansville and we worked out a few days on campus.  They said that I threw 220 innings in 1988 and they did not want me to throw too much in the offseason.  They wanted me to just throw a little bit and we were going to talk more than anything," Benes said about his first few months back in the USA following the Olympics.  "I went to spring training (1989) a month early, so I had two months of spring training.  I literally thought if this is what it likes, it may not be for me.  I was used to being in a tight knit group, but pro ball wasn't like that at all.  It can be with certain teams, but initially, you don't know anybody, it was just hard."

Benes' professional career started at the AA level with the Wichita Wranglers.  It was a familiar place for Benes as it was the scene of a summer league tournament in 1987 where he first hit the 90-MPH mark and interacted with a Phillies scout.  In 16 starts, he went 8-4 with a 2.16 ERA.  From there, he advanced to the AAA level, playing for the Las Vegas Stars of the Pacific Coast League where he made five starts.  As he looks back on his time in the minors, there is one thing he would love to change if he could.

"I look back and whether it was at Evansville or four months in pro ball, I wish someone would have said "we're going to make you throw X number of change-ups, work on a third pitch", I really had one major league pitch and that was my fastball, my breaking ball was not a Major League pitch at that point," Benes pointed out.  "I really wasn't preparing myself like I could have if I would have developed my change-up for example, that would have helped me later in my career because the Majors is not a good place to try and develop a new pitch.  I spoke to Greg Maddux a lot, a great pitcher and Hall of Famer, he would throw his change-up any time, any place.  He said he did not always do that, but when he was in the minors with the Cubs, they made him throw X number every game, regardless of the outcome."

Benes went on to explain one major difference between college and minor league baseball.  In college, the outcome is extremely important.  In the minors, it is more about development.  While Benes was happy to be throwing a 9-inning shutout every couple of starts, he realized that his game was not getting better.  He was using his fastball to overpower hitters, but things would be different when he made it to the big leagues.  While that was an important aspect to look at down the road, Benes had the pure talent to make it at the biggest level and got his opportunity at the end of the year.  As a rookie, he made ten starts and credits the veteran pitchers on the Padres squad who helped him to adjust and become a better pitcher.   He was named the National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.

"I made ten starts there (Las Vegas) before the Padres needed a starter; at that point, I was 21 years old and in the big leagues.  I am thankful that when I got there, they had a veteran group of starters and they just put their arms around me.  They were not intimidated by me, they knew I was a young guy that threw hard, but I could help them accomplish the goals of the club," he said when talking about the jump to the majors.  "They were all really good to me, Bruce Hurst, Dennis Rasmussen, these guys were so good to me.  Mark Davis, who won the Cy Young that year as a closer, along with everyone else, just put their arms around me and welcomed me.  That was huge.  As I went through my career, for 14 years, when there were young guys that would come up, I tried to pay that forward to the guys and say welcome."

 "It was a good lesson for me to learn early – embrace your teammates and do what you can to help them."