New York Mets superstar Juan Soto had a two-word response when asked what makes him confident the club can contend in 2027, despite finishing this year with a disappointing 74-88 record.

“Carson Benge,” said Soto after New York's 6-4 loss to the Washington Nationals in their final game of the season.

“That's the confidence we have,” Soto added. “We have a really good, talented group, really young core that can help us; you just gotta take them to the right path, show them where to go and how to go about this stuff and play the game.”

Benge provided plenty of evidence for that confidence during his rookie campaign. The 23-year-old finished his first 156 major-league games with 20 home runs, 22 doubles, 65 RBIs and 22 stolen bases while recording a .282/.346/.430 slash line and a .776 OPS. His 20 homers and 22 steals made him the first Mets rookie to reach the 20-20 mark and the 18th rookie in major-league history to accomplish the feat.

In the last game of the year, Benge had three hits in five at-bats and an RBI, finishing with a team-high 168 hits. After his batting average dropped to .136 through his first 20 games, he rebounded by hitting .300 with an OPS above .820 over the remainder of the season.

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His improvement came after considerable adjustments at the plate. Benge hit .189 in April and batted .226 without a home run in 58 plate appearances ending with fastballs. His stance, which opened at 26 degrees in April, became significantly more closed by June and now sits at 5 degrees. He also reduced his leg kick and stopped moving his hands as much.

Benge also developed in other areas. He collected 10 outfield assists, while his 103.9 mph throw was the hardest thrown by a position player in MLB this season. He made 11 four- or five-star catches, according to Baseball Savant, and ranked among just six players in at least the 70th percentile in Statcast's batting, baserunning and fielding value metrics.

New York selected Benge out of Oklahoma State with the No. 19 pick in the 2024 draft. His emergence became especially important after the organization decided to retain most of its top minor-league talent despite a need for pitching at the 2025 trade deadline.

For Soto, Benge's development and the Mets' young core provide the foundation for believing New York can make a deep postseason run next season.