Carson Benge is good at hitting? Big deal. Everyone knows that. Carson Benge is good at fielding? Duh. I know what pulchritudinous means. Carson Benge is good at running? Of course. He might end up with 25 stolen bases this year. Tell me something I don’t know!
How about this: Carson Benge is the Mets’ best ABS user.
That’s right. In addition to all his other accomplishments, the rookie has been the Mets’ most valuable player when it comes to his use of the new Automatic Ball-Strike Challenge system. Benge has recorded 4.2 net overturns vs. expected in his favor, the most by any Met this season. Juan Soto ranks second with 3.5, and Bo Bichette ranks third with 1.6. Benge’s mark is also the 29th-best in baseball, essentially making him an “ace” ABS challenger.
On some level, these results seem predictable. Unlike most of his teammates, Benge had experience using the ABS system coming up through the Minors. But it still takes skill and feel to deploy those challenges correctly in-game (or to stop yourself from doing so), as evidenced by the fact that fellow rookie A.J. Ewing has actually been the Mets’ lowest-ranking ABS user at -3.0 net overturns vs. expected.
So how, then, is Benge providing so much value? He’s not racking up overturns. In fact, most of his value appears to come from his relative restraint, his timing, and his accuracy.
Benge has only challenged nine pitches all season, but he’s won six of those challenges. He hasn’t incorrectly challenged a pitch in over three months, going a perfect 5-0 since May 26. Of those five overturns, two resulted in a walk and one reversed a strikeout, proving more pivotal than an early-count change.
We can see Benge’s restraint measured via Statcast’s expected metrics. The 23-year-old has tapped his head on just 2.6% of challengeable pitches, below the 3.7% that Statcast would expect a player viewing identical pitches to challenge. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Benge is challenging too little. There are plenty of pitches that a player would be “expected” to challenge incorrectly. Benge appears to be consistently (and correctly) declining those opportunities.
This trend runs in direct contrast to the team’s overall approach this season. Mets batters have challenged 164 pitches thus far, tied with the Yankees for the most in baseball, despite a 50% overturn rate — tied for 12th-best. That leaves the Mets with a lot of overturns (82, fourth-most), but also a lot of lost challenges (82, 3rd-most). It’s a rather reckless strategy, one the organization is sure to hone as ABS tactics further develop over the coming years. But for now, Benge bucks the Mets’ trend, representing a shining light of patience in a lineup of relatively free-tappers.
There’s no award for ABS use, and it’s by no means the most meaningful stat on Benge’s resume — but it’s yet another way that Benge’s rookie season has been remarkably well-rounded, and another facet of the game through which his skills can be appreciated.
Oh, and in case you were looking for any small, petty way to fuel Benge’s Rookie of the Year case when debating Cardinals fans:
Benge: 4.2 Net overturns vs. expected
JJ Wetherholt: 2.5 Net overturns vs. expected
How about we just put these guys in an ABS Derby to decide the winner. Who says no?
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