Mets Had Several Players Who Showed High Baseball Character

The New York Mets played a lot of bad baseball this season, and it came from some clueless players who lacked focus and made poor decisions. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series now because they’re full of players who do the opposite, which is making the Mets’ flaws even more glaring and obvious. 

But there were some bright spots. These four players stood out in the baseball character department, as they consistently played the right way and made good decisions. They’re not the usual names you would expect to find on this kind of list, but that doesn’t change the way they played. 

Carson Benge, RF

Benge announced his physical talent on Opening Day with a dramatic home run, but his mental toughness was even more impressive when he weathered the slump that followed. 

The right fielder also kept adding to his game offensively throughout the season. Benge wasn’t expected to provide much power, but he figured out how and when to turn on a fastball in late May, and he shifted his approach to capitalize on that. 

But Benge never abandoned his overall hitting approach, which is about being patient, making contact and knowing when power opportunities were available. By the end of the season he was a force in the middle of the lineup, and his defense kept getting better, too. 

Luis Torrens, C

Torrens has always been a good defensive catcher, but he got better this season, and he was able to augment his status with a solid offensive approach. The result was a well-deserved extension that came with a pay bump. Torrens doesn’t have the same kind of physical talent as fellow backstop Francisco Alvarez, but he consistently played smart baseball, which was the opposite of what Alvarez does. 

Nolan McLean, RHP

It would have been easy for McLean to focus on his individual goals after establishing himself at the top of the rotation, but he didn’t do that. McLean was hunting strikeouts early, but starting in June he turned his attention to adding length to his starts. You don’t see that much in today’s game given the emphasis on K’s and velocity, but it was a good sign for the right-hander’s future, especially with all the chaos and poor play going on around him. 

A.J. Ewing, CF

Ewing’s rookie year wasn’t as impressive as that of Benge, as he had a lengthy midseason slump based on chasing and losing his basic approach for an extended stretch. He’s still a bit of a “prove it” player offensively going into next season, but Ewing’s defense stayed steady  and he looks like a lineup staple for years to come.