With the Reds selecting right-hander Chase Burns No. 2 overall in the draft, it caused quite the shakeup and many players ended up bouncing around in different slots than most had expected. The Mets were able to take full advantage of that by selecting Oklahoma State University outfielder Carson Benge No. 19. Later in the second round, the Mets selected left-hander Jonathan Santucci No. 46 overall out of Duke. These are exciting picks for the Mets and two that have me foaming at the mouth. Usually during the MLB draft myself and many Mets fans are livid with their first round picks, and more often than not, their second round picks as well. Not tonight. Tonight we can celebrate, and I’ll tell you why.
Image via: MLB.com (Carson Benge)
No. 19: Carson Benge, OF OSU
Coming into the draft, Benge was slated to go anywhere from 14-19, with many experts picking the Mets as they had been scouting the youngster all year. Benge has drawn many comparisons to Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Christian Yelich. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns famously jumped on the 2018 MVP when the Miami Marlins put him on the trade block back in 2017, so you have to wonder if Stearns sees some Yelich in Benge as well.
Benge had a breakout performance this year in college slashing .335/.444/.665, in part to his improved bat-to-ball skills and elite exit velocity numbers. Benge has more untapped potential than most college players in this year’s class, and if he can work on his swing, he has a very high ceiling at the MLB level.
Across 304 plate appearances, Benge walked 49 times while only striking out 51 times, had a 1.109 OPS, 18 HR, 64 RBI and 24 doubles. He’s a solid defender with plus arm strength as his fastball on the mound clocks in at 97 MPH. MLB.com’s grade scale of 20-80 gave Benge the following grades for the following six position player grades: 55 Hit | 55 Power | 50 Run | 60 Arm | 55 Field | 60 Overall.
If Benge is able to work on his swing in the minor leagues, he could be a highly talented player that the Mets could see as early as 2026. He has the ability to be a 5-tool player. Due to his low walk rate, and great plate discipline, Benge could easily translate to a .300 hitter in the majors as well.
Image Via: Baseball Prospect Journal (Jonathan Santucci)
No. 46 Jonathan Santucci, LHP Duke
Heading into the 2024 college baseball season, Jonathan Santucci was widely considered as one of the top-5 pitchers in the entire draft class, and a top-3 southpaw as well. Santucci, due to injuries, was only able to pitch in 13 games this season, and was banged up for most of his collegiate career. Across his 13 games this season, Santucci appeared in 58 innings, had a 3.41 ERA, struck out 90 batters, with a 1.31 WHIP, 14 SO/9 and a 2.50 SO/W ratio.
Santucci was ranked as the 37th player in MLB Pipeline, and has one of the best sliders in the draft. His fastball has plus-vertical break and has a dominate change-up, which was very underused during his time at Duke. His slider and fastball each have a grade of 60 (out of 80) which is above average, according to MLB Pipeline. His pitch control has a grade of 45, slightly below average. The major aspect to Santucci’s repertoire that he needs to work on, is how to utilize his pitches in a more effective way.
Santucci returned off of his rib injury in the playoffs for Duke, and his fastball averaged 96 MPH in the two games he pitched in. Santucci has electric, very raw stuff, and if he can work on his pitch control, he could be a very effective No. 2-3 starter at the MLB level.