A Lot Is Riding on the Shoulders of the Mets’ Youth Movement

The New York Mets have started to make noise again in the baseball world. And for once, it is positive.

The Mets have won 10 of their last 16 games and have started to crawl out of the early-season hole they dug themselves in.

Behind it all is a crop of young players leading a new youth movement in Queens. Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing and newly called-up Nick Morabito have helped transform the vibe around this team.

The Mets even called up another prospect, Zach Thornton, to start Wednesday’s game against the Washington Nationals.

They have needed it. The Mets have been riddled with injuries, with Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. all on the shelf with no clear return in sight.

That puts even more pressure on the Baby Mets to keep this renaissance going and help save the season.

Stats were taken prior to play on May 21.

Why the Mets’ Youth Movement Can Save Their Season

The most impactful player in the Mets’ youth movement has been Carson Benge. The 2024 first-round pick has completely flipped his season around.

Benge entered the Mets’ May 4 game against the Colorado Rockies hitting .192. Entering Thursday’s game against the Washington Nationals, his average was up to .264.

To state the obvious, he has caught fire.

Benge has been vital to the Mets’ turnaround. He has solidified himself as their leadoff hitter, a spot they struggled to fill after Lindor’s injury.

The Mets inserted Benge into the leadoff role on May 12. Since then, New York is 6-3. Benge is 17-for-43 (.395) with 10 runs and six RBIs. He also recorded two walk-off RBIs during the Mets’ most recent homestand.

Early in the season, Benge looked overwhelmed by major league pitching. He often swung under pitches and pulled off the ball.

But during his recent hot streak, he has started to spray the ball to left field with force. That shows up in his 32.8% opposite-field rate on batted balls.

Another big advantage Benge brings is his success against left-handed pitching. That is an area where the Mets have struggled mightily all season.

Benge is hitting .310 against southpaws with a .394 on-base percentage. Not having to worry about matchups is a major advantage for the Mets.

Despite a couple of mishandled fly balls, Benge has been strong defensively overall. He also has one of the best arms in baseball, ranking in the 97th percentile with a 94.1 mph average throw.

Benge recorded his first outfield assist with a 94.8 mph missile against the Nationals on Wednesday. He nabbed Keibert Ruiz at home plate.

Benge’s emergence also came around the same time the Mets brought up A.J. Ewing.

Ewing debuted on May 12 and has already become a key figure in New York’s lineup. Carlos Mendoza has consistently batted him toward the bottom third of the order. Yet, Ewing has provided a spark, not just by getting hits, but by walking.

In his first game with the Mets against the Detroit Tigers, Ewing worked three walks and added a triple. In every at-bat, he showed strong knowledge of the strike zone. He also worked pitchers to get on base, something the Mets have not done enough this year.

Ewing came around to score twice in that game.

Overall, in 35 plate appearances, Ewing is hitting .296 with a .441 on-base percentage and one home run.

And oh yeah, Ewing is insanely fast as well.

Ewing has a 29.2 feet-per-second sprint speed, ranking in the 95th percentile in MLB. Last season in the minor leagues, Ewing swiped 70 bags.

All of a sudden, with Benge and Ewing, the Mets have become younger, more athletic and better defensively. That is especially true now that they have added the next member of the youth movement, Nick Morabito.

Morabito may not have the same hitting tools as Benge or Ewing, but he plays the game hard and fast. He is known as a strong defender and could even rival Ewing’s speed.

The Mets called upon Morabito because of his numbers against left-handed pitching, an area mentioned before as a weakness. In Triple-A Syracuse, Morabito hit .333 with a .939 OPS against left-handed pitching.

It remains to be seen how often Morabito will get into the lineup. Juan Soto is holding down left field, and the Mets also have another right-handed outfield option in Tyrone Taylor.

However, given the Mets’ disastrous start to the season, they may not have much of a choice. They had baseball’s worst record at multiple points, but the young players have brought new life to the team.

Now, it looks like the Mets are putting their season in their hands.

That is a lot of responsibility for players getting their first taste of the major leagues. But it wouldn’t be unprecedented. The Mets did something similar last season (with mixed results). They brought up Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat to help save their pitching staff.

Tong will likely make his return to the majors soon enough. Another pitching prospect, Jack Wenninger, may not be far behind.

After putting their chips into an older, injury-riddled group before the season, the Mets are now going all in on the youth movement.

Will it pay off? Only time will tell. But based on how this team has looked over the past couple of weeks, it is off to a promising start.