Carson Daily
Morning Dose: Tuesday, March 10
☀️ Good Morning:
The baseball spotlight is shining brightly on the World Baseball Classic and Team USA, whose commanding win over Mexico on Monday reminded fans how powerful the sport can be when national pride and elite talent collide.
“It’s playoff baseball in March,” Aaron Judge told Ken Rosenthal after the game. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Packed stadiums, electric at bats, and the intensity of international competition have stolen both the players’ attention and national headlines.
But back in Port St. Lucie, under a calmer spring shadow, another story is unfolding.
That story is Carson Benge. The rising prospect has shown a mature approach at the plate, combining disciplined swing decisions with the kind of athleticism that has long made him an intriguing homegrown talent in the organization.
Spring training backfields rarely produce headlines, but they often produce players. And if Benge’s early progress is any indication, the Mets may be seeing the first chapter of a player who could one day command a much brighter spotlight.
❶ Carson Benge, hit machine.
❷ David Stearns provides a mid-camp update.
❸ David Wright loves Bo.
And stay for the final outs for some interesting notes on Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.
📰 ABOVE THE FOLD
❶ CARSON DAILY
No, not that Carson Daly.
Carson Daily as in Carson Benge is becoming a daily hit machine.
The young outfielder has hits in five of his past six contests, including back-to-back multi-hit games. And the way he is battling through each plate appearance is even more impressive.
⇢ 0–2, who cares?! On Monday, after striking out in his first at-bat on a curveball, Marlins righty Tyler Phillips dared him to hit one, landing back-to-back curveballs for strike one and strike two in his second at-bat. Down 0–2, Benge did what Benge loves to do, and made Phillips pay for calling on the bender again, turning the next curveball he saw into an RBI triple.
He followed that up with a seven-pitch walk in the fifth inning, before delivering again with two strikes in the sixth. This time, taking a fastball the other way for an RBI single.
⇢ Swing path: What I love about his two hits on Monday were the different swing paths he needed to earn them. His triple came on a steep undercut swing to lift a breaking ball from below the strike zone, while his single was from a flat approach to take what the pitcher was giving him.
