Welcome back to the Mets Beat newsletter! Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007, including the past 17 seasons full-time on the beat. This edition of the newsletter was written by Adrian Garro. |
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The Mets knew they had a talented young player in Carson Benge, and the 23-year-old has lived up to that promise with a standout rookie campaign in 2026. And though New York hasn’t played to expectations this season, Benge's emergence has been one of the club’s bright spots, a beacon of hope that the organization is headed in the right direction with a mix of young talent and proven superstars like Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. It’s not a “rebuild” in the traditional sense – that’d be a tall order given the perennial expectations and financial heft of the Mets, after all – but interim manager Andy Green and his club are playing out the season looking to put together some momentum heading into ‘27 and beyond. A particularly impressive aspect of the rookie’s breakout this season has been his defense in the outfield, where he’s split duty in right (91 games), left (19) and center (11). Benge enters Monday in the 96th percentile in arm value and 98th in arm strength, per Baseball Savant. It's a logical path for a player who previously put in some work as a pitcher at Oklahoma State. “I’ve always been blessed with an above-average arm, and it really helped that I also pitched in college to build up more arm strength,” Benge said. “Having a strong arm makes a difference, and I think it’s really helped me this season to help get adjusted to the big leagues.” |
And there’s plenty of video to back up Benge’s steady progress in that aspect of his game. On July 24, he uncorked a 100 mph strike from right field to nab the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman at the plate – the fastest-tracked outfield assist by a Mets player under Statcast (since 2015) and the fourth-fastest-tracked throw in all of MLB this season. In fact, Benge owns the two fastest-tracked outfield assists by Mets in that same span, thanks to a 98.2 mph throw on July 10 to nab Boston’s Connor Wong at the plate. But wait, there’s more. There have been 29 tracked outfield assists this season with an arm strength of at least 95.0 mph. Benge has three of those, tied with the Royals’ Jac Caglianone for the most of any player. Benge’s developing presence as a “don’t run on him”-type of outfielder is the next phase of one of his cited skills during his prospect era. “His plus arm strength, which helped him throw 96 mph off the bump in college, will be an asset anywhere on the grass,” read Benge’s 2025 scouting report when he was the Mets’ No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. |
That’s definitely proven true so far in 2026 for Benge, and he understands the value of such a skill. “It’s big,” Benge said. “Any time I’m stealing an out, helping my pitcher out, helping the defense out, getting us back to the dugout quicker to hit, it’s big-time.” Beyond his exploits with the glove, Benge has also emerged as a valuable asset atop the Mets’ lineup in his first season in the bigs. After a slow start that saw him hit just .189 through April, Benge has turned it on since, posting a .294/.354/.448 line in 85 games. Among qualified rookies, his .272 average ranks ninth, his 116 hits rank third, his 13 homers are tied for eighth with the Rockies’ TJ Rumfield, and he’s tied for second with three triples. As the Mets play out the rest of this otherwise frustrating season, Benge is making it impossible to overlook his development as a catalyst on both offense and defense. |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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THIS DATE IN METS HISTORY |
Today’s date, Aug. 10, is the date of a particularly rare occurrence in Mets lore.
It was that date in 1992 when New York hosted the Pirates at Shea Stadium for a marathon contest that spanned 16 innings and over five hours, the two clubs combining for 479 pitches on the day.
Leading off, Vince Coleman drew five walks over the course of the 16 innings, becoming the first Met to draw a free pass five times in a single game.
And though the Mets lost this game, 4-2, Coleman’s feat of patience stood up for nearly two decades until Mike Baxter drew five walks of his own in a 6-2 win in San Diego on Aug. 4, 2012 – only needing nine innings that time. |
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GET YOUR KPOP DEMON HUNTERS METS JERSEY |
This coming Saturday, Aug. 15, the Mets will play the Nationals and celebrate KPop Demon Hunters with a special jersey giveaway. The first 15,000 fans making their way into Citi Field that afternoon will receive this special jersey, themed after the animated Netflix film that has since become a cultural phenomenon. Don’t miss it! Full details available here. |
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