Port St. Lucie is about to get a whole lot more interesting.
Usually, the early days of Spring Training are reserved for watching veterans stretch their hamstrings and waiting for the pitchers to report. But when the Mets arrive in Florida this February, all eyes are going to be glued to one locker. The name on the back says Benge. The vacancy in center field says opportunity.
With Brandon Nimmo now wearing a Texas Rangers uniform, the Mets have stripped away the safety net. They created a void in the outfield that feels massive, both emotionally and statistically. The easy, knee-jerk reaction is to scream for the checkbook. Go sign Kyle Tucker. Go steal Cody Bellinger. Throw millions at the problem until it goes away.
That is the old way of doing business. The smart play might already be in the building.
The Meteoric Rise of Carson Benge
Carson Benge is 22 years old. He is left-handed. And he plays the game with the kind of hair-on-fire urgency that this roster desperately needs. If you weren’t paying close attention to the farm system in 2025, you missed a show. The kid didn’t just climb the organizational ladder; he sprinted up it two rungs at a time.
He started the year in High-A Brooklyn, dealing with the cold winds off the boardwalk, and finished it in Syracuse one step away from the show. That trajectory is rare. It screams confidence. Just look at the damage he did across 116 games in the minors:
- Slash Line: .281/.385/.472
- Power: 15 home runs
- Speed: 22 stolen bases
- Production: 73 RBIs
Those numbers paint a picture of a complete player. The .385 on-base percentage is particularly tasty because it shows he isn’t just swinging out of his shoes; he understands the strike zone. He has the tools to be a legitimate leadoff threat or a spark plug at the bottom of the order.
A Necessary Reality Check
Now, let’s take a deep breath before we crown him the savior.
The final leg of his journey was rocky. Upon reaching Triple-A, Benge hit a wall. Over 24 games, he batted just .178. The pitchers were smarter. The spin was tighter. He looked like a young kid trying to figure out grown-man baseball.
This is not a red flag. It is a necessary callous.
The Mets front office isn’t panicking over a bad month in Syracuse. They know the talent is real. The question isn’t if he will hit, but when he will adjust. Spring Training will be the ultimate laboratory to test that adjustment.
The Alternative is Uninspiring
Why push the kid? Because the current alternatives don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of National League pitching staffs.
Right now, the depth chart lists Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor as primary options. Taylor is a fantastic fourth outfielder and McNeil is a gritty utility man, but neither is the long-term answer in center field. Relying on them to play 150 games is a recipe for mediocrity.
The New York Mets have a chance to let the youth movement take over. Benge is going to get every rep he can handle this spring. Even if the team brings in a veteran bat to raise the floor, Benge is the ceiling. He might start the year in Syracuse to iron out the kinks, but make no mistake about it. The clock has started. We aren’t looking at a prospect for 2027. We are looking at a guy who intends to crash the party by June.