So far, the 2026 season has not been what Mets fans were expecting, as they’re one of the worst teams in the league. After starting 7-4, the team went on to lose 12-straight games, which is the longest skid in over 22 years, when they lost 11 straight games in 2004. The losing streak sent the fan base and the media into pandemonium as the Metropolitans are supposed to be a contending team.
Mets Trying to Find Their Future: Is Benge the Answer?
The Mets are trying to find their groove without players like Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, and Jeff McNeil, who were key players from the previous core that represented the Mets for close to a decade. David Stearns is trying to mold his team into his image and bring the Mets back into contention. The Mets have some players in the farm system that the Mets hope will be the future and represent the team. Carson Benge, who made the opening-day roster, is a rookie phenom looking to become the franchise’s next star.
During this past spring training, Benge was competing for a chance to make the Mets opening day roster as a rookie, which is not easy to do. There have been 8 players in franchise history to have debuted on opening day.
The last Met to debut on opening day was first baseman Alonso, and he did wonders for the franchise as he’s now the home run king for the Amazin’s.
With Juan Soto moving to left field, the starting job for right field was open for the taking. Many believed that Carson Benge was set up to take the right field position had he showcased his potential in spring training.
Benge did not disappoint as he had Stellar spring training, as he slashed .366/.435/.439 with an .874 OPS in 14 games. In those games, Benge demonstrated high-level contact skills with a 91% in-zone contact rate and showcased himself as a player who impressed many high-level people throughout the Mets organization.
Benge’s Rookie Season
It was a rocky start to Benge’s rookie season, as his batting average and OPS were not up to par. He was batting .136 (9-66), with a .416 OPS, striking out most of his at-bats as he struck out 24.7% of the time, giving him a 23 wRC+. It wasn’t an easy transition for Benge, adjusting from the minors to the Majors as he faced a big learning curve against big-league sequencing.
Even though his raw exit velocity was high, his barrel percentage was low early on. Benge was making contact with the ball, but he was missing the exact sweet spot of the bat because he was still adjusting to the late movement of major league pitching.
As the Mets struggled early on, especially in their 12-game losing streak, Benge faced mental pressure trying to force a breakout. He would begin “pressing”, instead of letting the ball come to him, he began over-swinging and expanding his zone slightly to try and force a breakout, which sabotaged his naturally advanced plate discipline.
Ever since May 4th, he’s been a completely different player and has been producing for the Mets. His breakout game came in the Mets’ 4-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on May 4th. Benge adjusted his stance to feel more comfortable with big-league velocity.
It certainly paid off as he hit a monster solo home run to deep-right center field off Tomoyuki Sugano to break a 0-0 tie. After the game, he said in a post-game interview with SNY that he finally felt his feet were underneath him and that he was adapting to the speed of the majors.
In May, Benge had a bit of a surge, showing around the league why he can be part of the Mets’ future. After his breakout game on May 4th, he’s been one of the most productive bats in the lineup. He started the season batting .136; over the past 15 games, he’s hit .321 with a .802 OPS, raising his overall season average to .237.
In the Mets series against the Detroit Tigers, he went 2-5, 3-5, and 2-5 in those three games. His best game came on May 13th when he went 3-5, which included a 10th inning walk-off single to drive in another baby Met in A.J. Ewing, for Benge’s first walk-off hit of his career. Fixing his batting stance fixed his strikeout rate tremendously as he went from having a strikeout rate of 24.7% to 16.7%.
Mets 2026 Season Outlook So Far
The Mets haven’t had the best ideal season and have looked for something not just to provide a spark for the current season, but hope for the near future. They have a lot of talent in the farm system that they need to take a look at and see if they can be part of the future for the Metropolitans. Benge, though he didn’t start too well, has played up to par and looks to keep on improving as he finds his way through the majors.
There have been other baby Mets that have made their way to the majors and have contributed so far. Nolan McLean came on to the scene last year and pitched well enough to earn a spot in the rotation and look to become the next dominating Mets pitching prospect. McLean made a name for himself as he was pitching for Team USA in the WBC.
Recently, the Mets called up Ewing, who has surged his way through the minors, as he has only played in 12 Triple-A Syracuse games. He had a strong debut series against the Tigers, where he was a contributing factor behind the plate. It’ll be interesting to see who will be the next baby Met to get the call to the majors and hopefully become part of the future of the Mets.
