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Three Mets Earn Inclusion On MLB.com All-Rookie Teams
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- Three Mets Earn Inclusion On MLB.com All-Rookie Teams
Sure, the house that the 2026 New York Mets built had garish shag carpeting, flocked wallpaper and avocado-green kitchen appliances, but there are signs that the structure's foundation is actually quite sound.
The latest indicator of this came on Oct. 6 when MLB.com, in a piece written by Ben Weinrib, revealed the selections for its 2026 All-Rookie teams and three young Mets were included, which provides a sign that a quick rebound from this season's 74-88 last-place nightmare may actually be possible.
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The headliner is outfielder Carson Benge, who earned First Team honors after earlier capturing a spot on MLB.com's All-Debut team , which recognizes first-team players who made their debuts in 2026 with no previous major-league cups of coffee under their belts.
Benge entered Opening Day on March 26 as the sport's No. 16 overall prospect and the Mets' starting rightfielder, a role he would not relinquish as he appeared in 156 of the team's 162 games this season.
He did get off to a slow start over the first six weeks as his batting average dipped to as low as .091 on April 7, but from there it embarked on a steady climb and once it passed the .200 mark for good on May 6, Benge had solidified his spot as a Mets' regular and foundational piece for the future.
"Benge got off to a slow start in Queens before becoming one of the club's most consistent hitters," Weinrib wrote. "He was particularly hot across the final two months - .315/.381/.497 (.878 OPS) with nine homers in 62 games - which made him a leading candidate to win the NL Rookie of the Year award. The former two-way player possessed the fifth-strongest outfield arm in the league (96.9 mph average on the top 10 percent of his throws) and was dangerous on the bases with 22 steals in 27 attempts."
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Benge's strong finish enabled him to compile a final batting average of .282 with a .776 OPS. He added 22 doubles, 20 home runs and 65 RBIs. In the field, his 10 assist made him one of seven outfielders to record 10 or more assists during the season. Add it all up and he was a 4.3 WAR player in 2026.
The other first-team outfielders were Tristan Peters of the Chicago White Sox and Chase DeLauter of the Cleveland Guardians.
MLB's All-Rookie Second Team features a player that should be very familiar to Benge - Mets' centerfielder A.J. Ewing .
Ewing, who entered the season as the game's 98th-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, played a combined 30 games for the Mets' Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse affiliates during which he rolled up a .339 average and .961 OPS.
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He got the call to report to Citi Field in early May and ended up appearing in 120 games, the vast majority in center with a sprinkling of games played in left, right and at second base.
In those 120 games, he compiled a .252 average and .700 OPS with 11 homers, 19 doubles, 43 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Defensively, he had six assists, all of which helped him produce 3.1 WAR.
Joining Ewing on the All-Rookie Second Team outfield were Sam Antonacci of the Chicago White Sox and Henry Bolte of the A's.
The final New York rookie to be honored was starting pitcher Nolan McLean. McLean made eight starts for the 2025 Mets and finished with a 5-1 record and 2.06 ERA, while actually finishing 11th in 2025 Rookie of the Year balloting, making it pretty obvious that he had a chance to be a rotation fixture in 2026.
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He did not disappoint as he finished 12-10 with a 3.16 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP and 194 strikeouts in a team-high 179.2 innings pitched, which translates to 3.0 WAR.
With numbers like that, unless the Mets make a big splash in free agency ( Tarik Skubal, anyone ?), McLean is all but guaranteed to be New York's Opening Day starter when the 2027 season commences.
Joining McLean as an MLB All-Rookie Second Team starting pitcher was Logan Henderson of the Milwaukee Brewers, with Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians and Payton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox corralling First Team nods.
