FORT WORTH, Texas — A new chapter in the Mets’ development system has begun with flare: Here comes a second two-way player — at least, he hopes to be a two-way player — from Oklahoma State.
Carson Benge, a lefty-swinging outfielder better known for his bat but with a strong right arm, became the 19th-overall pick in Sunday’s first round of the draft at Cowtown Coliseum.
The intriguing selection is the first pick in the regime of team president David Stearns and vice president of amateur scouting Kris Gross.
The Mets already had one two-way player from Oklahoma State in Double-A Binghamton slugger/starter Nolan McLean.
But Benge revealed that McLean, whose bat had slowed at the higher level and whose body was feeling the effects of the double duty, recently decided to focus solely on pitching.
The Mets at least gave McLean a chance, which is what Benge — a close friend of McLean’s, the two Cowboys meeting on campus in Stillwater and hitting it off because “we’re both gingers, we’re both two-ways,” Benge said with a smile — wants the same.
“I’d at least like a shot to be able to do both,” Benge said over Zoom.
Gross, who is now running Mets drafts, would not commit to Benge pitching, too, and said there would be conversations about his usage.
For the moment, Gross said, he was just “excited that [Benge] was still on the board.
“He’s just a baseball player. He’s very instinctive, makes a lot of contact,” Gross said. “We think he can be a five-tool type center fielder long term.”
The news arrived exactly as McLean, who often plays the video game “Rocket League” with Benge, had envisioned.
“We’ve been kind of trying to manifest this for a little while,” said McLean, who blew up Benge’s phone with messages once he saw the pick and remembered their prior conversations: “‘Man I hope you become a Met. It’d be amazing if we can become teammates together.’”
The Mets have gone outside the box with a significant selection.
Stearns, whom the Mets officially hired from the Brewers in October, brought in Gross in late November.
Gross had spent the past 11 seasons with the Astros, including the previous four leading their drafts.
In his 11 seasons scouting with Houston, the club produced more major leaguers (58) than any other team.
The duo hopes to reshape a Mets farm system that has not provided enough in recent years, and much of the long-term lifting will be conducted by turning draft picks into real prospects.
That process starts with Benge, a 6-foot-1, 21-year-old who arrived at Oklahoma State as a two-way player but required Tommy John surgery shortly before what was expected to be his freshman season.
His arm bounced back, but his bat was his most impressive tool in college.
He knocked 18 home runs with a .335/.444/.665 slash line in 61 games last season, when he walked 49 times and struck out just 51 times.
“Really, I don’t think there’s a lot of stuff that I can’t do with the bat in my hands,” said Benge, who also pitched to a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings last season primarily out of the bullpen.
“He’s a heck of a player,” said McLean, whom the Mets drafted in the third round last year. “He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever been around from a pure baseball and athleticism standpoint.”
McLean has given plenty of advice to Benge and will have more to dole out as he ends his own experiment after trying to follow in Shohei Ohtani’s footsteps.
The righty hitter and pitcher excelled with High-A Brooklyn before his arm became the better tool at Double-A.
“I think it could be permanent,” McLean said of focusing on one path. “The main thing was my workload and how my body was feeling. We knew it was going to be a challenge from the start.”
The Mets continued their run on superior athletes in choosing Duke left-hander Jonathan Santucci with their second-round pick.
Santucci, selected at No. 46 overall, also got at-bats as an outfielder and DH with the Blue Devils, but he will focus on pitching as a pro.
Last season the southpaw struck out 90 in 58 innings while pitching to a 3.41 ERA in 13 starts.
After two picks, what has become clear is the Mets are on the hunt for the best athletes available.
“We definitely value [athleticism] highly,” Gross said.
