Andrew Charles Benes (born August 20, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most prominently as a member of the San Diego Padres, who selected Benes as the first overall pick in the 1988 MLB draft.

He pitched 6+2⁄3 innings, allowed two runs and struck out and walked four batters in a 12–2 win over Australia that clinched the Americans' advance to the medal round.

[3] He made 21 starts in Minor League Baseball (MiLB), 16 for the Double-A Wichita Wranglers and five with the Las Vegas Stars,[5] before making his MLB debut on August 11.

On July 31, 1995, Benes was traded with a player to be named later (Greg Keagle) to the Mariners for Marc Newfield and Ron Villone.

[12][13] Instead, Benes became one of the first players in Diamondbacks history when he signed a three-year, $18 million contract prior to the team's inaugural 1998 season.

[12][14] He threw the first pitch, a ball,[15] and earned the first loss in Diamondbacks history, as the team fell on Opening Day to the Rockies.

[18] His final regular season MLB pitch struck out Ryan Christenson on September 29, 2002.

[19] He ended his career in the NL Championship Series, earning a loss in Game 4 to the San Francisco Giants.

[9] Relief pitcher Todd Jones wrote in The Sporting News in 2004 that Benes had a habit of gritting his teeth when preparing to throw a slider, a tell that hitters could exploit.

[27] Their fourth child Shane Benes played for the State College Spikes in the Cardinals system in 2019.