Reese Kaplan -- A Fine Benge Year But Not Rookie of the Year Level

During April and May people were wondering if Carson Benge was another one of David Stearns’ frequent errors in player judgment.  He was struggling big time with his bat and after having had a very temporary stop in AAA during 2025 many wondered if indeed the promotion to the major leagues so quickly was premature.  If not for the early injury to veteran Mike Tauchman it is possible he could have been in Syracuse.

While it seemed to take a very long time, all of the sudden Benge’s talent pushed past his early challenges.  Not only was he hitting well enough to assume a frequent assignment in the cleanup spot in the batting order, but his throws from right field have become something of highlight reels as well.  Talk about him forcing his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation has become increasingly common.

Could it happen? 

Well, anything’s possible but there are a few strong contenders probably sitting ahead of him in the pecking order for award contention.  Right now it would appear that the St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt was on track to take home the trophy.  Right now he’s hitting .243 with 17 HRs, 47 RBIs and 13 SBs.  Those are pretty nice numbers for a rookie contender but not exactly eye popping.

By comparison Benge is now hitting .276 with 16 HRs, 53 RBIs and 19 SBs.  With him leading Wetherhold in three out of four categories and trailing in HRs by a whopping 1, it would seem that the fan enthusiasm for the Mets right fielder is not without merit. 

Another popular name that comes up in these conversations is Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart.  He’s likely the frontrunner that Benge will not be able to catch.  He’s hitting .262 with 27 HRs, 97 RBIs and a dozen thefts.  The HR number is not likely to be matched and a rookie set to go well over the century mark in RBIs is pretty much unheard of.

Another contender for this award wears the same uniform as Carson Benge.  Starting pitcher Nolan McLean is having a nice full rookie season with pretty impressive numbers.  His 9-8 record is more a reflection of the club’s inability to win ballgames.  Accompanying that is a very nice 3.34 ERA 3.34 ERA with 162 strikeouts in less than 143 IP.  His WHIP is a very nice 1.157.  

While some folks feel he will eventually develop into an ace, right now he’s certainly showing top quality number two abilities.  Since good pitchers are much less frequently developed than good hitters it may be that he surges towards the top of the voting, too.  Given that both he and Benge both play for the same club it could result in some vote splitting.

Regardless of what award Benge does or does not win, the fact is that we need to tip our orange and blue caps not only to the player who has more than responded to his terrible start to become a factor in team scoring as well as run prevention.  And for the rare record, let’s also give a dip of the chapeau to David Stearns who for once got a player decision right.