Mets’ Carson Benge pulls off wild rookie feat last seen in 1983

New York Mets rookie right fielder Carson Benge continued his stellar campaign on Wednesday, helping the Queens club cruise past the San Diego Padres 4-2 while reaching a franchise milestone that had not been accomplished since 1983.

Benge went 2-for-4 and produced the game’s first runs with a two-run home run in the fourth inning against Padres starter Michael King. King had retired the first nine Mets hitters in just 31 pitches, but Benge changed the game after working a full count. He drove a 95 mph sinker on the outer half of the plate an estimated 356 feet, sending it just inside the left-field foul pole.

The homer was Benge’s 15th of the season and made him only the second rookie in Mets history to combine at least 15 home runs with 15 stolen bases. The only other player to accomplish the feat was Darryl Strawberry in 1983, the same season Strawberry won National League Rookie of the Year.

Benge has complemented his 15 homers with 18 stolen bases and 51 RBIs, recording a .752 OPS over 122 games in the process. His production has also surged since June 18, a 51-game stretch in which he has logged an .829 OPS with eight homers and 25 RBIs. In August, he has hit .311/.373/.557 across 16 games, adding four home runs, nine runs and 10 RBIs.

His overall production ranks among the National League’s qualified rookies. Benge is third in home runs, second in stolen bases and third in OPS, while his 109 OPS+ also exceeds the St. Louis Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt’s 105.

Not only that Benge’s fielding run value ranks in MLB’s 70th percentile, while his arm value is in the 95th percentile and his arm strength is in the 99th percentile. During Monday’s 2-1 New York win over San Diego, he threw out two Padres runners at home on consecutive plays with throws measured at 99.9 mph and 103.9 mph, with the latter being the hardest throw by a fielder this season.

The Mets improved to 11 wins in their last 15 games with Wednesday’s victory.

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