PORT ST. LUCIE — Carson Benge has wasted no time gaining new followers. The Mets‘ prime place participant prospect and second-overall has had followers following him all through spring coaching exercises, children asking for autographs and a line of reporters ready to speak to him in entrance of his locker virtually day by day.
Depend Keith Hernandez amongst them. The previous Mets first baseman and SNY broadcaster got here away impressed with what he noticed after watching him take batting apply with the large league group on the principle area at Clover Park on Thursday. The open stance, the leg kick, the collect, the extent swing, and eventually, the arduous line drives off his bat from the left facet.
“He’s a man that impacts the baseball to all fields,” supervisor Carlos Mendoza stated.
The 23-year-old Oklahoma State product has all the time been a pure hitter, slashing .335/.444/665 with 18 homers his junior season. He possessed a number of the finest bat-to-ball expertise within the 2024 draft class, and hit the ball arduous. However that was with an aluminum bat, and with a line-drive swing, scouts had been uncertain if his energy would translate to the professionals.
The Mets’ hitting group noticed the potential, considering it could present up on the subsequent degree if he might put some muscle on his lanky 6-foot-1, 185-pound body. After the crew chosen him within the first spherical in 2024 they determined to take him off of the mound and get him within the weight room, the place he has since placed on shut to twenty kilos of muscle. It exhibits in how arduous he hits the ball.
“I feel I’m in all probability 20 kilos heavier now, however shifting the identical, if not higher,” Benge stated. “So I really feel like that was a giant, large a part of that. Switching over from each to simply hitting, I really feel helped me fairly good too.”
It wasn’t troublesome to drop pitching, realizing it might assist get him to the large leagues quicker. He couldn’t have a extra excellent alternative to get there this season. Primarily a middle fielder within the minor leagues, Benge performed proper area all three seasons for the Cowboys. With Juan Soto shifting to left area, Benge is ready to compete for the Opening Day job in proper.
“I’ve been there extra so I really feel extra comfy with it,” Benge stated. “To not say I really feel uncomfortable in any of the opposite spots, I simply really feel like, with the quantity of reps I’ve gotten, proper area feels probably the most comfy for me, however I nonetheless really feel fairly strong in heart and left.”
A powerful proper arm that got here from years of pitching helps him within the outfield. He topped out at 96 on the mound in school, plus crow hops assist him get much more juice on his throws. Benge isn’t notably speedy, however quick sufficient to play heart area, and adept sufficient in his routes and monitoring to play heart as effectively.
Early within the offseason, president of baseball operations, David Stearns, stated Benge would get an opportunity to compete for a job in spring coaching. The Mets had been in line with this all winter, weighing outfield choices of their offseason selections. Nonetheless, Benge’s title is written in pencil, not pen, in terms of the Opening Day roster. Grapefruit League video games don’t usually carry a ton of weight, however they matter some, and if the Mets don’t assume he’s prepared for the large leagues, they’ll make selections accordingly.
Tyrone Taylor is a wonderful defensive outfielder in any respect three positions, and the Mets are having Brett Baty work out within the outfield this spring as a part of his transition to a utility function.
Even when Benge doesn’t begin the season in Queens, he’s nonetheless anticipated to play a task for the Main League crew this season. However up to now, the Mets like what they’re seeing from him in exercises.
“The one factor that I’ve seen the previous few days right here doing stay at-bats is his potential to foul off robust pitches, particularly when he will get behind rely,” Mendoza stated. “That, for me, is a very good signal that he’s capable of keep within the struggle.”
Benge is getting the total big-league therapy in his first large league camp. His locker was briefly subsequent to Soto’s earlier than the crew introduced in Mike Tauchman on a minor league contract, nevertheless it’s not removed from the lockers of Soto or Bo Bichette.
There are developmental points the Mets wish to see from Benge, however the greatest factor is that they wish to see him comfy with who he’s as a participant, whereas nonetheless striving to get higher and be taught from the established gamers round him.
It’s the identical recommendation Matt Holliday, the brother of his school coach Josh Holliday, gave him.
“[He said] to simply be myself,” Benge stated. “That’s the principle factor, all the time be myself.”
