Carson Benge is officially one of the three finalists for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, and let me tell you, this race is going to be wild. This isn’t one of those easy calls like the AL awards that apparently have clear frontrunners, or even the other NL awards where Pete Crow-Armstrong for MVP and Jacob Misiorowski for Cy Young are looking like unanimous decisions. The NL Rookie of the Year is the most hotly contested major award of the year, and Benge is right in the thick of it.
The Toughest Competition in the Game
Our guy Benge is up against some serious talent. You’ve got Sal Stewart from the Reds, who just mashed the ball all season long. Stewart put up an insane 32 homers and 111 RBIs. That’s the kind of power you don’t see often from a rookie, the most since Pete Alonso drove in 120 back in 2019. Then there’s JJ Wetherholt from the Cardinals, who despite a late-season stint on the 10-day injured list, still led all NL rookies with a ridiculous 4.6 fWAR. Wetherholt’s fielding was off the charts, 100th-percentile Fielding Run Value, and his baserunning was nearly as good, 91st-percentile Baserunning Run Value. These guys are no slouches, that’s for sure.
Benge’s Elite All-Around Game Shines
But Benge, at just 23 years old, is the definition of well-rounded, and he put up some absolutely unreal numbers himself. He didn’t just play good, he LED THE MAJORS IN ARM VALUE! Think about that, a rookie leading *everyone* in a key defensive metric. He also became only the 18th rookie ever to record a 20/20 season, putting him in a truly exclusive club, the first since former World Series champ Tommie Agee. And if you needed more proof of his late-season dominance, check this out: Benge absolutely torched the league over his final 48 games, hitting .321 with an .896 OPS. But he truly went supernova in his final 13 games, where he batted a mind-blowing .396 with a 1.080 OPS. That’s the kind of finish that makes everyone sit up and take notice. And we can’t forget Nolan McLean, who had a killer season with a 3.16 ERA and 194 strikeouts over 179.2 innings. McLean even snagged a Gold Glove Award, the first rookie pitcher ever to do that! He’s likely going to finish fourth, just missing out on that finalist spot.
It’s been a minute since a Mets position player even got votes for this award, not since Andrés Giménez tied for seventh in 2020. And the last time the Mets had a finalist was Kodai Senga in 2023, who was runner-up. Benge has a chance to join some serious Mets legends, like Tom Seaver, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Jacob deGrom, and Pete Alonso, all former Rookie of the Year winners. The winner gets announced live on MLB Network on November 9. Mark your calendars, because this is one you won’t want to miss!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Amazin’ Avenue.
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