Carson Benge, Nolan McLean Represent Mets' Only Chance At Awards Salvation After 2026 Season Flop

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The New York Mets have officially missed the playoffs for the second straight year, a highly disappointing outcome after the organization invested so much time, energy, and money in the roster. Whether they were the right investments remains up for debate, and the evidence—a 73-86 record heading into the final weekend of the season—is revealing for those making the calls in the front office.

Making things worse for the 2026 Mets (but somehow better for the organization in 2027 and beyond) is the fact that they have not one, but two legitimate NL Rookie of the Year candidates in pitcher Nolan McLean and outfielder Carson Benge.

It’s bad for obvious reasons: the Mets had a young foundational piece both in the rotation and the batting order/outfield, yet they're destined for last place in the NL East. That means things went really south around the rest of the roster.

However, the Mets of tomorrow will have the chance to build around these two young stars, plus established veterans Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto and other interesting pieces such as A.J. Ewing, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Christian Scott, Zach Thornton, and Nate Lavender.

Back to the NL ROY talk, Sal Stewart’s September slump is making it increasingly likely that one of McLean or Benge might end up with the prestigious piece of hardware on their trophy cabinet. The Reds slugger might still be the favorite, but he is hitting .263/.301/.303 with a 66 wRC+ this month and is at .266/.333/.465 with 32 home runs, 110 RBI, 85 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 2.2 fWAR, and a 115 wRC+ for the season as a whole.

Have McLean or Benge done enough to leapfrog Stewart or St. Louis Cardinals infielder J.J. Wetherholt for the award?

Carson Benge's Case for NL Rookie of the Year

Benge impacts games on an everyday basis, and he has done an excellent job both on offense and on defense. The stats, as always, don’t lie and paint a full picture of the rookie’s enormous contributions to the 2026 Mets despite an ugly start.

Heading into the final series against the Nationals, Benge is hitting .274/.338/.419 with 20 round-trippers, 22 stolen bases, 83 runs scored, a 112 wRC+, and 3.7 fWAR. Unlike Stewart, he is getting it done with the bat and on the field.

Wetherholt, the other favorite for the award, is a phenomenal defender, but his 103 wRC+ is rather middling in comparison with the rest of the candidates, including Benge. He has a higher fWAR (4.6), but fewer homers (17) and steals (14) than the Mets' star.

In more than 1,300 innings between left, center, and (mostly) right field, Benge has +6 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and +7 Fielding Run Value (FRV). He also has 10 outfield assists, tied for fifth in MLB and third in the National League. Benge can do it all, as he contributes in every department.

Nolan McLean's Case for NL Rookie of the Year

There’s a difference between being a good, young, up-and-coming lineup anchor growing up and developing among a solid group of veteran hitters and a pitcher becoming a staff ace while being rookie-eligible. In cases like these, the hurler should always get the nod because becoming a frontline starter isn’t an easy task.

That’s what McLean is for the Mets: an ace. In a rotation that had Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta, Christian Scott, and Zach Thornton at different points of the season, he managed to stand out to the point that he currently has a 3.5 fWAR and a 3.16 ERA in 179.2 innings. He leads New York in all three stats.

McLean has struck out 194 batters. Only five National League pitchers have more: Jacob Misiorowski, Jesus Luzardo, Christopher Sanchez, Chris Sale, and Cade Cavalli. That’s it.

After the talented right-hander posted a 2.06 ERA in 48 innings in his first taste of MLB baseball last year, some people had doubts about his ability to dominate for 30+ starts, and while McLean didn’t maintain an ERA in the low-2.00s, he did pitch like a No. 1 over a much larger sample in 2026.

Who Will Win The NL ROY Award?

A few weeks ago, Stewart looked like the overwhelming favorite to lift the individual trophy. That’s not the case anymore, though, and while he might still be the frontrunner in the race given his lofty totals, Wetherholt’s defensive prowess gives him a fighting chance.

As for our two emerging stars here in New York, the stats and the circumstances both say they deserve to be closer to the other two in the race. Perhaps voters give us all a surprise in a few weeks.