PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Carson Benge has a novel view on swinging and missing.
“I hate striking out,” Benge said after collecting three hits in the Mets’ 6-0 loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday, all on two-strike pitches. “That’s one thing about me. So being able to fight for every pitch, scrap for it, is really good.”
Benge led off the bottom of the first inning Wednesday with a two-strike chopper to third base, which he easily beat out for an infield hit. Two innings later, the rookie took a 1-2 fastball to the opposite field for a sharp single, 101 mph off the bat. Then, in the fifth, Benge pulled a ground ball through the hole on the right side for his third hit. He finished 3-for-3.
“His ability to stay in the fight,” was what manager Carlos Mendoza took away from Benge’s performance. “Especially when he gets behind in counts, his ability to foul off pitches and then just using the whole field and putting the ball in play — his bat-to-ball skills, we saw it today, he just finds a way.”
While all players aim to put the ball in play, strikeouts tend not to inspire the same dread they once did across the league, as modern coaching methods encourage getting deeper in counts and trading some swing-and-miss for extra power.
Benge, the Mets’ No. 2 prospect following the 2025 season, is a bit of a throwback in that regard. He struck out in 17.7 percent of his Minor League plate appearances last year. At Double-A Binghamton, his 15.9 percent strikeout rate ranked in the 87th percentile of Eastern League hitters.
COMPLETE METS PROSPECT COVERAGE
That skillset can only help the 23-year-old as he battles Mike Tauchman, Tyrone Taylor, Brett Baty and MJ Melendez for the Mets’ starting right field job. Tauchman began to state his case on Tuesday, homering in his first Grapefruit League at-bat. Benge followed suit on Wednesday with a three-hit game after beginning his spring 0-for-5.
Best of all, in his opinion? He has struck out just once in eight spring plate appearances.
“I just try and go in there and fight every AB,” Benge said. “I’m not trying to give something away by taking a dumb swing or anything like that.”
