00:00Joel Sherman back with three things. Why don't we make three things today about Carson Benj?
00:06Starting with number one, why are we excited, meaning the baseball world, excited about Carson Benj?
00:15Because next is always fascinating.
00:18There's so little mystery around the world in general and sports world in specific.
00:23And so when we have a player who is just seen through other people's eyes, scouts, Baseball America, Baseball Perspectives,
00:32everyone who's putting out these lists, most people haven't seen Nolan McClain.
00:35They've heard about Nolan McClain. They've gotten excited.
00:38Let's remember, David Stearns said that at the end of last disappointing season for the Mets that he would be
00:46given a chance to make the team in 2026 out of spring training.
00:51And here we are in spring training 2026. The Mets are set in almost every other positional place, every place
00:58pretty much in the rotation.
00:59They might have six for five if they only go with five there.
01:03But there's mystery about Benj. And like the backup quarterback, we always love like the guy who's not playing is
01:09always more exciting to us than the guy who is playing.
01:12And there is excitement. Why is there excitement around Benj?
01:17One, he's obviously talented. He was a first-round draft choice.
01:22He was the pick just before Toronto took Trey Yusevich in 2024.
01:26He was the first pick of the David Stearns administration.
01:29So that certainly is exciting.
01:31And then last year in his first full season in the minor leagues, he shot from high A to double
01:37A to triple A and moved into pretty much everyone's top 20 prospect list, a lefty-hitting outfielder with five
01:46tools.
01:49So, two, why don't we talk about who he's getting compared to?
01:53I reached out to about 10, 15 people.
01:55I always think it's valuable.
01:56Well, it's in the Mets' best interest, and by the way, even if they're being sincere, they love this prospect,
02:04Carson Benj.
02:05Of course they do.
02:05They drafted him.
02:06They've developed him.
02:07They see his high end.
02:08So I always think it's worthwhile to talk to people outside the organization.
02:12I did exactly that, about 10, 12 people.
02:15And you should know, they all think well of Carson Benj.
02:18I'll give you the three comps I got.
02:19One was Kyle Tucker.
02:22Pretty much if you're a fan of baseball, you know who he is.
02:24Tucker's taller, Tucker's 6'4", Benj is like 6'1", but they meant as the overall package temperament.
02:31Nick Markekis, if you say, wow, how good is that going to be?
02:35Nick Markekis had over 2,300 hits in the major leagues.
02:38He won three gold gloves.
02:39The other one I heard, Steve Finley, who was a tremendous center fielder, won five gold gloves in center field,
02:45and by the way, had over 300 homers and 300 stolen bases in the major leagues.
02:50You know, where would the Mets sign up for any of these careers for Benj?
02:55And that's why they're so excited about him.
02:59So why don't we go to two?
03:00What would it mean if he made the team?
03:03It would mean they solved the problem.
03:05It would mean that Brett Beatty could move around the field, you know, right field, second base, third base, first
03:11base,
03:12and try to accumulate 400-plus plate appearances that way.
03:15It means that Taylor goes back to doing kind of what he does best as a fourth outfielder type,
03:23play against some lefty pitching, come in late to defend or run.
03:27The Mets are just much better set up.
03:29If Benj does that, he would bring, if he makes the team,
03:33the Mets are going to think that he brings five tools and some energy right from the beginning.
03:38I would suspect that they'll begin him by hitting him low in the lineup, try to take the pressure off.
03:44And they're trying to take the pressure off here.
03:46Carlos Mendoza, when asked about this, said frankly that he's told him,
03:50hey, I know you're probably going to mess up here.
03:52Don't worry about it.
03:53Just move forward.
03:54We believe in you.
03:55And part of what the Mets want to see here is how does he handle messing up.
04:00The one thing that has come up a lot about him, and, you know, you could take this a bunch
04:05of different ways,
04:06is like nobody's accusing this player of being a deep thinker.
04:09This is the kind of guy who's playing by instinct and athleticism as opposed to, you know,
04:15an overly thoughtful, analytical guy.
04:18Like if you talk to someone, say, like Francisco Lindor, he's a deep thinker when it comes to playing baseball.
04:24The word on Benj is he's a guy who does this more by athleticism and instinct.
04:30And because of that, Andy Green, who runs the Mets minor leagues, I asked him about it.
04:35He said he's really good at flushing.
04:37Benj is really good at flushing good day, bad day, which is vital when you play six, seven days a
04:43week
04:43to move on from good or bad, and that is the word on Benj.
04:49So why don't we go to number three here, which is what if he doesn't make the team?
04:54Well, the Mets have a little bit of a problem then because they think Brett Beatty can add corner outfield
05:01to his resume, but they're not positive about that.
05:07You'll see him a lot out in the corner outfield, especially right field this spring training.
05:12Every chance the Mets get, I would think every time there is two games, an A game and a B
05:17game in a day,
05:18Benj will be playing right field in one place and Beatty will be playing right field in the other place.
05:23The Mets have to get to know if he could do that, and then Tyrone Taylor becomes a more regular
05:28player again.
05:29And I think what Taylor has shown over these last few years with the Mets is if you ask him
05:33to be a supplementary
05:3510th, 11th man on a roster, he's way more valuable than just bringing him in as a more 300, 400
05:43plate appearance kind of guy.
05:45You want him as depth and an emergency guy and a defensive guy and a base runner and really good,
05:52you know, clubhouse guy.
05:55Asking for more out of that is problematic.
05:58You know, is it possible someone like MJ Melendez could become part of this if that's the case?
06:05You know, Melendez was once thought of, this is why you got to watch with prospects.
06:08He was once thought of as Carson Benj, not the whole package, but a top 20 prospect, and it never
06:14worked with the Royals.
06:16And now he's here with the Mets on a low contract, and they're going to see if, you know, they
06:22could revive him.
06:24Does he end up playing right field if Benj can't do it from the beginning of the season?
06:28And then, you know, as just to finish up here, the question becomes what becomes of Benj then if he
06:34goes to the minor leagues?
06:35You know what becomes of Benj? He's only got one full season in the minors.
06:38He's 23 years old. He had an overall very, very good year last year, 281, 15 homers, over 20 steals,
06:46a high 800 OPS.
06:48But in AAA, he hit 178 with a 583 OPS, and that was in, you know, not a ton of
06:56games, 20-something-ish games.
06:58So a lot of the scouts and executives I talked to felt it would be valuable for him to go
07:05back.
07:05The Mets believe fully that they can find out in six weeks if he should go back or not, and
07:11that's obviously why these six weeks are important.
07:14You know, for a player like Juan Soto, the other corner outfielder, the guy who's opening up right field by
07:20moving to left field,
07:21these six weeks are about, well, for him, WBC this year, but preparation.
07:26He knows he's got the team made. He's a great player.
07:31So they're just trying, you know, he's a guy who's getting ready for a season.
07:35For Benj, this is an audition, you know, and he will have to try to block out some noise, block
07:41out some pressure, et cetera.
07:43But he, over the next six weeks, has a real shot to make this team.
07:47I think the Mets want him to make this team.
07:50They don't want to send him back.
07:52They don't want to slow down his clock.
07:54This is an important player for their future, but he's also an important player for 2026,
07:59and these six weeks are Carson Benj time.
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