Paul Articulates - Benge has arrived

Carson Benge has been a standout player at every level of professional baseball that he has played.  So it does not come as a surprise that he is now becoming a bona fide MLB star.  

It took a while – as you remember, Benge had some solid success during spring training but had a pretty rough start to his MLB career in his first month.  He also had a rough start in his first few weeks at AAA last year when everyone thought he had found his ceiling.  But the thing about Benge is that no one has found his ceiling.  He just takes a little while to get adjusted to the next level of competition and then he rises above.

Last night’s 5 for 5 game which included a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored was a huge night for Carson, but it was not the moment he arrived as a player that the Mets can count on for years.  After his tough start where he batted .192 in April, he hit .306 in May and is batting .360 in the first week of June.   His OPS has been accelerating as well, going from .504 in April to .801 in May to 1.181 in June.

Even before Benge had adjusted to the pitching at this level, he was already contributing with other aspects of his game such as his speed and his defense.  He already leads the team with 34 runs scored in his first 62 games played, and with his improved on-base percentage, expect much more from him.  I fully expect him to surpass 100 runs scored in his first MLB season.

Defensively, the duo of Benge and Ewing has transformed the outfield into a no-fly zone for opposing hitters.  Their speed and their jump on the ball enables them to get to balls that would otherwise fall for hits.  Baseball Savant ranks Carson Benge in the 77th percentile for range, 85th percentile for sprint speed, and the 98th percentile for arm strength.  That is exactly what the team needs in right field, where the long throws to third base and home require a powerful, accurate arm.

Another thing that Carson brings to the Mets is his baserunning abilities.  He leads the club with 10 stolen bases so far and he usually goes first to third on base hits anywhere right of center.  This puts pressure on the opposing defense and stress on the opposing pitcher.  Coupled with Ewing (7 steals), Benge brings a new vitality to the Mets’ offense.  The rest of the offense seems to be slowly coming to life, so with hits behind Benge and Ewing, baseball in Queens may become much more exciting.

On a team that struggles with the luxury tax every year, Carson Benge is in his first of six years of team control.  He makes the league minimum this year, but will certainly command a little more in the future when he becomes arbitration eligible.  But for now, he is a high value, low-cost player on a club that unfortunately has too many low value, high salary guys.  Go buy a Benge jersey now, because he has arrived and will not be going anywhere for a long time.