Carson Benge named a finalist for NL Rookie of the Year Award

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 23: Carson Benge #3 of the New York Mets takes batting practice prior to the game between the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Courtney Kramer/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos vi

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It’s official: Carson Benge has been named one of three finalists for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, along with the Reds’ Sal Stewart and the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt. The winner will be announced live on MLB Network on November 9.

The NL ROTY race is the most hotly contested of this year’s major awards cycle, with each of the AL awards having clear frontrunners and the other NL awards expected to result in a pair of unanimous decisions (the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong for MVP and the Brewers’

Jacob Misiorowski for Cy Young). Stewart led the field in offensive counting stats, posting 32 homers and 111 RBIs, the most by a rookie since Pete Alonso drove in 120 for the Mets in 2019. Wetherholt, despite a late-season trip to the 10-day injured list that that hindered his chances, still managed to lead all NL rookies with 4.6 fWAR on the back of his 100th-percentile Fielding Run Value and 91st-percentile Baserunning Run Value).

Benge, the most well-rounded of the bunch, led the majors in Arm Value and became the 18th rookie to record a 20/20 season (the first was former Mets World Series champion Tommie Agee). Benge bolstered his case by batting .321 with an .896 OPS over his final 48 games, and .396 with a 1.080 OPS over his 13 games.

Nolan McLean, who posted a 3.16 ERA with 194 strikeouts over 179.2 innings after his cup of coffee in the majors in 2025, will likely finish in fourth place — just shy of finalist status. McLean was named a Gold Glove Award winner on Sunday night, becoming the first rookie pitcher ever to win the award.

The 23-year-old Benge is the Mets’ first finalist for the Rookie of the Year Award since Kodai Senga finished as runner-up to the D-backs’ Corbin Carroll in 2023. Benge is also the first Mets position player to receive any votes for the award since Andrés Giménez, who finished tied for seventh in 2020. The Mets have had six winners over their 65-year history: Tom Seaver (1967), Jon Matlack (1972), Darryl Strawberry (1983), Dwight Gooden (1984), Jacob deGrom (2014), and Alonso (2019).