The Mets added an intriguing prospect with their first-round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, taking Carson Benge, a two-way star from Oklahoma State, with the 19th overall pick.
Benge, who plays the outfield, hit .335 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI in 248 at-bats as a red-shirt sophomore last season while pitching to a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings, primarily as a reliever.
“I would at least like a shot to be able to do both, because why not?” Benge said in an introductory Zoom call after being drafted. “It’s there, and if one or the other suffers or if my body can’t handle it, then I’ll know it’s time to set down one or the other.”
It’s the second year in a row the Mets drafted a two-way prospect out of Oklahoma State. They took Nolan McLean, a third baseman and right-handed starter, in the third round last year and allowed him to pitch and DH in the minors.
Benge said the Mets and other teams were open during the pre-draft process to him remaining a two-way player, but added, “We’ll still have to see.”
AP Photo/LM Otero
A photo of Carson Benge is shown on the video board after Benge was selected 19th overall by the Mets in the first round of the MLB draft in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Benge is close friends with McLean, whom he revealed recently decided to “set down the bat” because doing both was “really, really hard on his body.” McLean’s last appearance in the Double-A Binghamton lineup came on June 20.
McLean later confirmed his decision to prioritize pitching, telling reporters Sunday night, “I think it could be permanent. The main thing was just the workload and how my body was feeling.”
As a position player, the 21-year-old Benge, who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, projects as a right fielder with an above-average arm, according to MLB Pipeline, which ranked him as the draft’s No. 18 prospect.
Benge said he considers hitting to be more fun than pitching because it means playing every day. He possesses strong contact skills with an ability to hit the ball hard, which should allow him to hit for power at the next level.
He red-shirted in 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, then made 10 starts in 2023, pitching to a 6.69 ERA in 35 innings. Benge, who boasts a mid-90s fastball and solid slider, made four starts in 18 pitching appearances last season.
AP Photo/Vasha Hunt
Alabama pitcher Ben Hess during an NCAA baseball game last year. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
The Yankees, meanwhile, used the 26th overall pick on Alabama right-handed starter Ben Hess.
Hess, 21, wields a mid-90s fastball that he can dial up to 99 mph, according to MLB Pipeline, which ranked the righty as the draft’s No. 44 prospect.
The 6-5, 250-pound Hess pitched to a 5.80 ERA as a junior last season but owns enviable stuff, including a swing-and-miss curveball.
“He has the upside of a No. 2 starter but will need to throw more strikes to reach it,” reads the MLB Pipeline scouting report.
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