Carson Benge Has Been The Vital Point The Mets Needed
The New York Mets have been the epicenter of all negative New York sports media since Opening Day. Despite all the early-season losing, negative headlines and injuries, one player has stood the test.
Carson Benge is coming off of his first 5-for-5 game, which saw him propel New York to a 7-3 win Sunday over the Padres. Benge hit a wall-scraper home run, a triple and accounted for three total runs in the winning effort. The all-around offensive effort by the 23-year-old raised his batting average to .265 on the season, keeping him atop of Mets qualified batting average players of those who have appeared in 50+ games.
This was the first 5-5 performance that the Mets have seen since Francisco Lindor in 2023. This is also the first 5-hit performance by a Mets rookie since Pete Alonso in 2019. The performance by the rookie also makes him one of the youngest in Mets franchise history to do so.
Benge overall has been a vital part of New York and his 1.1 WAR showcases it. Throughout all the ups-and-downs this season, Benge has not succumbed to any pressure in his rookie campaign. He has dealt with slumps and 0-for’s, but it is nothing out of the ordinary for a rookie ballplayer.
His 26 RBIs rank third on the team, but 52 strikeouts rank an unfortunate second. Benge has K’d 52-times compared to 17 walks, contributing to OBP% of .325 in what is part of an overall .733 OPS.
Benge’s offensive contributions and defense has steadily improved since game 1/162, making him a legitimate candidate for National League Rookie of the Year.
Although it’s still somewhat early in the season pre-All-star break, the Mets will look to build their momentum around Benge as they come off of a fairly difficult road trip that saw them balance around .500%.
Comments