After a phenomenal rookie campaign, Carson Benge is a finalist for NL Rookie of the Year. Sal Stewart and JJ Wetherholt round out the nominees. Notably Nolan McLean, who delivered a stellar rookie campaign of his own, was snubbed. The last Met to win Rookie of the Year was Pete Alonso in 2019. Kodai Senga was a finalist in 2023, coming in second to Corbin Carroll.
Benge, 23, finished his rookie season hitting .282/.346/.430 (.776 OPS) with 20 home runs, 65 RBIs, 22 doubles, three triples and 22 stolen bases. In that campaign, he broke the Mets’ all-time hits record by a rookie (168), became the first Mets rookie to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases, and set the Mets record with 12 three-hit games in a season.
The former first-round pick started slow, hitting just .189/.247/.278 with two home runs through the end of April. After his early slump, Benge never looked back, hitting .299/.363/.457 (130 wRC+) the rest of the way.
While his bat took on a life of its own, Benge became known for his stellar, and sometimes pulchritudinous, plays in the field. Nominated for a Gold Glove Award in his rookie campaign, Benge posted a +1 fielding run value (69th percentile) and, more importantly, landed in the 100th percentile in arm value (+7) and 99th percentile in arm strength (96.6 mph). He recorded a 103.9 mph throw in August, the hardest throw by any MLB outfielder in 2026 and the third-fastest throw in the Statcast Era.
While the Mets’ 2026 season was not what many hoped, Benge and the other crop of rookies proved the future is bright in Queens.
