Mets get exciting Carson Benge award's update from ESPN analyst

The New York Mets are having a nightmare 2026 season. But that doesn't mean it's been all negative. The trade returns at the deadline weren't terrible, and they've had a few fun moments throughout the season.

But, most importantly, some of the young players look great. Specifically, Nolan McLean and Carson Benge, along with A.J. Ewing, have looked incredible. All three are rookies, and when it comes to Benge, his Rookie of the Year status got an interesting update.

According to ESPN's Bradford Doolittle, Benge has a legitimate chance to seriously enter the NL Rookie of the Year debate despite JJ Wetherholt's firm reign as the frontrunner for this award this season.

Carson Benge becomes serious NL ROY contender per ESPN

"Since the last Awards Watch, the hottest NL rookie has been Benge, who has been doing it in every facet and for an increasingly hot ballclub," Doolittle writes. "Since the All-Star break, he has hit .319/.369/.504 while playing outstanding defense and sparking the club with his energy."

Benge's .870 OPS since the All-Star break and high-quality defense in the outfield have him as a legitimate NL Rookie of the Year candidate.

But Doolittle still has Wetherholt for the St. Louis Cardinals sitting as the clear frontrunner. Going by AXE, a metric to help determine a player's value overall for award-winning purposes, Wetherholt has a 131.7 AXE compared to Benge at 116.3.

That's a lot of ground to make up for Benge, but as Doolittle notes, "If his recent trajectory remains steady, and Wetherholt doesn't improve at the plate, we could see a heated debate for this award a month from now."

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Wetherholt had a firm lead in this category, but his post-All-Star break numbers- a .203 average with a .323 on-base percentage and .321 slugging percentage make this race a lot closer than it was before the break.

This season overall, Benge has a .278 batting average with 16 homers, 53 RBIs, a .765 OPS, and 3.1 WAR with 19 stolen bases, 37 walks, three triples, 17 doubles, 131 hits, and outstanding defense in the outfield.

This race could get very close by season's end, but if nothing else, the Mets rookie outfielder has been making a strong case for this award recently and deserves his flowers for an incredible second half so far.

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