Carson Benge may actually have a real case to win Rookie of the Year.

Benge continued to shine Friday, becoming the first rookie in Mets’ franchise history to record a 20/20 season. His 20th home run  — a solo shot in the fifth inning of the Mets’ 7-6 loss to the Nationals — was just one of four times Benge reached base. He went 2-for-2 with two walks overall in another productive evening at the plate.

Benge is now hitting .277 with a .768 OPS for the season.

He entered the day with a .756 OPS, which was good for a 112 wRC+. That number has only risen.

Benge is now approaching a 4-WAR season. He entered the day with 3.7 on both Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

Carson Benge by Roberto Carlo

For a large portion of the season, the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt was considered the frontrunner for National League Rookie of the Year, given his high-level defense and solid offensive production. But his hitting prowess slipped, and he missed roughly the first half of September. His season OPS is only a hair over .700 at .709, and he’s played in 16 fewer games (138) than Benge (154). But Wetherholt does still have the most bWAR among NL rookies, with 4.8.

With Wetherholt fading, the Reds’ Sal Stewart seemed to take the spotlight as the favorite. He has eye-popping home run and RBI numbers — 32 and 111, respectively. Those marks alone may win him the award, depending on where the consensus philosophy of the voters lands. Stewart has played in all 160 of the Reds’ games and has been generally closer to the forefront of ROY discussions than Benge has.

But Stewart has scuffled for the last week or so. He has just four hits in his last 27 at-bats. It may seem like splitting hairs, but Stewart’s OPS has dropped from .816 on Sept. 17 — just over a week ago — to .796 now. Stewart doesn’t offer much defensively, so his WAR is just a tad above 2.

Benge’s WAR is nearly twice that of Stewart’s.

So is Stewart really still the favorite?

Benge isn’t as elite defensively as Wetherholt, but he’s certainly an above-average right fielder (5 DRS, 3 Outfield Arm Runs Saved). His OPS is higher than Wetherholt’s, but lower than Stewart’s. Benge has more stolen bases than either of them. While not possessing a single trait that stands out the most, Benge may just be the most well-rounded of the trio.

One can’t leave Colorado first baseman TJ Rumfield out of the conversation, though. Rumfield is a dark horse for the award but has numbers that stack up. He has a higher OPS than any of the other three at .841. He’s been particularly hot lately with a .970 OPS in September. Rumfield doesn’t carry a lot of defensive value as a first baseman, but he does have 6 DRS there. His bWAR entered Friday at 3.3, with an fWAR of only 2.5. Unlike the other rookies, Rumfield doesn’t steal bases.

Again, that’s where Benge’s well-roundedness comes in. Benge does a little of everything, as evidenced by his 20/20 season. Nearly all of his traits are solidly above average, if not spectacular. But it adds up to a really strong, valuable player. It’s different from assessing a player like Stewart, who has some flashy strengths and obvious flaws.

Then, of course, there’s the other Mets rookie in the race, Nolan McLean. Comparing pitchers’ value to that of hitters is a fruitless effort, and McLean’s rough start on Sept. 11 probably prevented the late push he needed. But his 3.16 ERA and 194 strikeouts over 179 2/3 innings across 31 starts should be enough to get some down-ballot votes, if nothing else.

So, what say you? At no point has Benge ever been considered the “favorite,” per se, but a glance at the numbers for each of the primary candidates shows that he has a legitimate argument. After a rough April, he’s been a steady, versatile piece for the Mets ever since. His consistency from May onward should propel him towards the front burner of the ROY conversation as the season winds down.