New York Mets right fielder Carson Benge became the first rookie in franchise history with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases on Friday, giving manager Andy Green another reason to support his National League Rookie of the Year candidacy.

The 23-year-old hit his 20th homer against Andrew Alvarez during the fifth inning of New York's 7-6 loss to the Washington Nationals. With two outs, Benge drove a 3-1 sinker 407 feet. He finished with a homer, single and two walks, reaching safely in all four plate appearances.

Benge is just the eighth player to achieve a 20-20 season in his first MLB campaign, joining Jackson Chourio, Anthony Volpe, Bobby Witt Jr., Julio Rodríguez, Marty Cordova, Ellis Burks and Mitchell Page. Including players who retained rookie eligibility after earlier major league appearances, he is the 18th rookie to reach those numbers.

“He just did something no Mets rookie's ever done before,” said Green. “That's pretty special. It's well-rounded. What he's done offensively, what he's done defensively when it comes to position players, add in the bases, he's done all of those things, in my mind, as well as any rookie in baseball.”

Andy Green was asked about the strength of Carson Benge's Rookie of the Year candidacy:

"I'm all for it. He just did something no Mets rookie has ever done before. That's pretty special." pic.twitter.com/l4tIgiRCzt

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 26, 2026

Five of the seven previous players on the debut-season list did not win Rookie of the Year. Benge's competition includes Cincinnati Reds slugger Sal Stewart, whose 32 homers and 111 RBI bolster his candidacy, along with St Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt and Mets pitcher Nolan McLean.

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Through Friday, Benge was batting .277/.342/.426 with a .768 OPS, 20 homers, 22 steals, 21 doubles, three triples and 64 RBI. His 162 hits set a franchise rookie record, surpassing Pete Alonso's previous mark, while his stolen-base total ranks third in New York's rookie history.

Benge also became the 11th Mets player with at least 20 doubles, 20 homers and 20 steals in one season. His 10 outfield assists are tied for 20th among MLB rookies this century.

Entering Friday, his 3.7 bWAR and 3.7 fWAR each ranked second among NL rookies behind Wetherholt. Benge ranks second in the NL in rookie home runs, third in hits, steals, runs (84) and RBI; fourth in batting average, doubles and triples; and fifth in walks (50).

His production followed a difficult introduction to the majors. After making the Opening Day roster, Benge carried a .416 OPS into April 23. Since then, he has hit .295 with an OPS above .800.

New York sits last in the NL East at 73-86. Losing the remaining games would leave the Mets with their worst record since their 70-92 finish in 2017.