Carson Benge Meets Darryl Strawberry
In Port St. Lucie, Carson Benge might just be the Mets’ right fielder this season. On Tuesday, he had the chance to shake hands with Darryl Strawberry, the franchise’s greatest right fielder, before the team faced Houston at Clover Park.
“It was really nice to meet him,” Benge shared. “I know what a fantastic player he was and how many home runs he hit.”
Interestingly, the two have a bit of a connection. Benge remarked, “He mentioned he was going to Oklahoma State University.” Strawberry had signed a letter of intent for that school before being picked first overall by the Mets in 1980.
Strawberry commented on the current crop of young talent, saying, “I don’t know much about these young players, but I’ve heard great things. This organization seems to be doing a fantastic job developing talent again. You can really see them beginning to gel.” He made his MLB debut with the Mets in 1983, just after turning 21. Benge, on the other hand, just turned 23 this January.
Strawberry further noted about Benge, “I look at him, and I think he’s a kid who has a real chance to be here. Sometimes, you need to let young players struggle a bit to learn. It’s tough, but I believe they’ll come to understand it, just as I did.”
Jack Weninger Takes the Field
Jack Weninger is making his debut Grapefruit League start, a significant step for a sixth-round pick from the University of Illinois. “After warming up, I caught the ball from Bo Bichette and saw Juan Soto and Ronnie Mauricio at shortstop. It was pretty cool,” said Weninger, who had spent all of last season at Double-A Binghamton.
Turning 24 next month, Weninger pitched two scoreless innings, aiming to become a viable starting pitcher soon. Manager Carlos Mendoza praised his splitter, calling it “as advertised.” For now, Weninger is leaning on veteran Sean Manaea for guidance during major league camp.
Kodai Chiga’s Progress
Meanwhile, Kodai Chiga took live batting practice and Mendoza noted an encouraging improvement in his velocity this spring. “I’ve never seen this kind of intensity early in camp. He’s healthy, and we need to maintain that,” Mendoza remarked.
Observations from Camp
In an interesting moment, Mauricio seemed to lose track of the number of outs in the third inning, which resulted in him not charging ground balls aggressively. Mendoza observed that he was sitting on the ball more than necessary.
On another note, following Hayden Senger’s successful challenge against Clay Holmes, Luis Torrence attempted to challenge two pitches behind the plate but was unsuccessful. Nolan McLean is slated to start on Thursday, while Freddy Peralta is scheduled for Friday, according to Mendoza.
