Benge’s Breakout Season Is Going Well Beyond Expectations

When the New York Mets promoted outfield prospect Carson Benge and basically handed him the right field job, they were taking a huge risk. Benge came straight from Double-A to the majors, more or less, so no one really had any idea realistic idea of what to expect beyond basic success. 

That feels like a long time ago. Benge started the season as mostly what they thought he’d be — a strong defensive player who could hit, get on base and spark rallies. 

But Benge has become a presence in the middle of the lineup. He’s been hitting for power and driving the ball, and he’s got a good shot at a 20-homer season, which is way beyond the initial expectations for this year. 

It’s easy to forget that Benge was batting just .189 at the end of April as he made his big jump. Since then, is slash line is All-Star caiber at  .294/.354/.448 line in 85 games, according to Adrian Garro of MLB com. 

The writer added that among qualified rookies, his .272 average ranks ninth, his 116 hits rank third, his 13 homers are tied for eighth with the Rockies’ TJ Rumfield, and he’s tied for second with three triples.

Oh, and the defense still plays, just in case you were wondering. Benge entered this weeks action in the 96th percentile in arm value and the 98th percentile in arm strength, according to Baseball Savant. 

“I’ve always been blessed with an above-average arm, and it really helped that I also pitched in college to build up more arm strength,” Benge said. “Having a strong arm makes a difference, and I think it’s really helped me this season to help get adjusted to the big leagues.”

Benge has had two of the fastest-tracked outfiled assists in MLB this year, one when he nailed Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers with a throw that was clocked at 100 mph, and another when he threw out Connor Wong of the Boston Red Sox at 98.2 mph. 

He’s developing a reputation as an outfielder who doesn’t get run on, and that has helped Mets pitching. 

“It’s big,” Benge said. “Any time I’m stealing an out, helping my pitcher out, helping the defense out, getting us back to the dugout quicker to hit, it’s big-time.”

The most amazing part of this is that we still don’t know what Benge’s ceiling is right now. He’s still learning the league, but one thing that is clear is that he’s a very bright part of the Mets future.