PORT ST. LUCIE - Carson Benge knows all eyes are on him, in a sense, here in spring training. He’s not pretending that he’s unaware of the expectations, after David Stearns publicly left the door open for him to fill out the Mets’ starting outfield.
But as a hitter who says he is best when he “keeps things simple,” Benge insists he’s not feeling the weight of those expectations as he tries to make the ballclub this spring in his second full professional season.
“I need to be as free as possible, that’s when I’m at my best,” Benge told me me at his locker on Tuesday. “That’s how I’m going to approach it. If I don’t make it, I won’t be disappointed because it will mean I didn’t earn it. And that would light more of a fire for me to get to the big leagues.”
That’s probably exactly what the Mets’ brass, and fans as well, want to hear. Benge projects a casual confidence that is probably ideal in this situation, and though he doesn’t say it, you get the feeling speaking to him that he believes he’s ready for the big leagues.
In that case, there’s a chance he’ll be the Nolan McLean of position-player prospects, adapt quickly at the big league level, and blossom into the impact hitter that could be something of a missing piece to the 2026 Mets’ offense.
Which would be quite remarkable, if it happens, considering that like McLean, Benge was a two-way player at Oklahoma State, but unlike his teammate, chose hitting over pitching after being drafted by the Mets.
McLean, for one, wouldn’t be surprised.
“He’s a super-gifted player,” McLean said Tuesday. “I’ve pitched against him a bunch of times in workouts, in the pros and in college, and he’s a really tough out. He’s going to make you throw it in the zone. If you get him to chase you’ve really accomplished something.
“I always thought he’d eventually choose hitting over pitching just because he was so good. From the day he rolled in (at Oklahoma State) he had a knack for getting the barrel to the ball, which isn’t easy coming into a program at that level. He was a better hitter than I was.”
Benge, meanwhile, says much the same about McLean.
“He could hit but I always felt he’d end up pitching,’’ he said. “You could see his stuff could play at the highest level.”
In fact, Benge says he’s never seen a pitcher spin the ball the way McLean can.
“It’s gross,” he said with a laugh.
As for himself, Benge says he was still largely undecided between pitching and hitting when he was drafted by the Mets as their first-round pick in 2024.
“I talked to the people in the Mets’ front office and they felt like I’d have a chance to get to the big leagues quicker as a position player than a pitcher. And I said, ‘I’m all for it.’“
Scouts say there never should have been much doubt.
"He’s a natural as a hitter,” said one scout who saw him at all three levels at which he played last season, from Class-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. “He’s got a very advanced approach, as far as hitting the ball where it’s pitched and staying disciplined in the strike zone. That’s what allowed him to rise so quickly.”
Benge, meanwhile, smiled when asked about that advanced approach and said, “Honestly, I keep it simple. See the ball, hit the ball. And hit it hard.”
If that’s the case, it’s fair to wonder if he needs to make adjustments, considering he struggled at Triple-A after tearing it up in Single- and Double-A, hitting .178 in 24 games there.
Benge, however, makes the case that the numbers are deceiving.
“I felt like I was in a good spot there, seeing the ball well,” he said. “I felt I was putting some good swings on balls, but not as many dropped for me. That’s baseball.
“It was good to go through it, though. Everybody has to at some point. The only difference I noticed in the pitching there was that guys were better at hitting their spots. But I didn’t feel a stuff difference.”
One scout who saw Benge in Triple-A offered a reasonably similar assessment.
“He didn’t look overmatched when I saw him,” the scout said. “I saw him get pitched tough, maybe because he already had some hype around him. He probably got himself out a little more at that level because he was seeing guys command their off-speed stuff better. I saw some hard contact but I’d also say he could use a little more time there before he’s ready for the big leagues.’’
That’s a determination the Mets will make this spring training, depending on what Benge does in Grapefruit League games.
In the meantime, they’re taking out some insurance, signing veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman in a deal the club has yet to announce. It’s a smart move – they need a Plan B, since they can’t be sure about how Brett Baty will look in the outfield.
Still, you hear much the same evaluation of Benge from inside and outside the Mets’ organization.
As that same scout put it:
“If he’s not there in April, I’d make a big bet he’ll be there by June or July. He can really hit.”