This Proves He's Built DIFFERENT...

This comment proves he's built different. With media pressure to discuss extensions and a long-term future with the Mets, young star Corson Bench responded in a way that fans love. Especially in light of Cardinals youngster J.J. Weatherholt signing a major extension, Amazons fans feel confident in what they have in center and right field with Bench and A.J. Ewing. We'll dive into these comments and incredible rookie campaigns only here on Mets Digest. I'm here with Sidney Mike Duda stoked to do so, but first I want to thank each and every Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to hit that free subscribe button. And if you're part of the 68% of viewers who has not yet done so, please consider we're on the road to 8,000 subscribers. It's free and it's worth the while. We got videos coming out each and every single day between myself and Josh Byrne, sometimes two, three, and even four videos in a given day. Thank you so much in advance. And let's dive directly into these remarks, beginning with Bench's comment on a potential long-term future with the Amazons. On that subject, he had the following to say. Going on to say, I just want to go out there and play every day. I'm just happy to be on the field and whichever way it goes with the future, I'm going to go out there, play my hardest and have fun. That is exactly what I want to hear from my young star, let it be Bench, AJ Ewing, or even Nolan McLean in the rotation, maybe even Christian Scott or hey, how about Zach Thornton based on that performance yesterday. But regardless of what youngster it is and what young star it is, this is what I want to hear. Focus on your season right now. Get better. Build yourself a case for National League Rookie of the Year. Build up your MLB prestige and don't worry about the contract. I understand a lot of rookies and even guys before they make their MLB debut sign large contracts, eight plus years, a hundred plus million dollars, but look at the teams that are extending them. It's usually teams that don't have a budget anywhere near the New York Mets, the richest team in baseball with the richest owner, Steve Cohen. So when you have an owner that's that rich, who cares if Bench or Ewing or McLean go through their rookie year and play so well that their value goes up 25 or $50 million, just give it to them. You have the money. So it doesn't really matter to focus on it right now. I think the Mets and their youngsters themselves should be focused on this season. Just doing as best as you can. Obviously we all know that the season is over, but simply it's the rookies. You want them to perform well. You want to show some bright spots for 2027 and beyond. And then in the off season, that's when I say you should worry about extending them because keep in mind with both Bench and Ewing, you still have an additional five years of control after this year because they're both in their first season of pre-arbitration. Bench is only making $780,000, Ewing $576K. They still will have another two years of pre-arb after this season and then three more years of club control before they hit free agency. So there is plenty of time to worry about that later in the 2026 off season. The Mets right now have bigger problems to worry about. And simply that is the August 3rd trade deadline rapidly approaching. There's now less than three weeks away. The Mets have to be sellers and focus on their future. So do that now. Worry about these extensions afterwards. Maybe in the back end of the season, if not the off season. So Bench goes on to talk a little bit more about playing alongside Ewing. And he says, I feel like we both come in every day ready to work, ready to play and ready to play the game the right way. I feel like if me and AJ are here together for a long time, we're going to bring a lot of wins here. That is exactly what I want to hear. That's what Mets fans want to hear. The New York Mets have not won a World Series since 1986. That is 40 years ago. And they haven't been there in 11 years since 2015. The Mets simply want to see some success and young guys, especially of their age right now, to say such responsible and mature things is excellent. Go out there, win, bring the fan base what they want. I love this. Bench is awesome. Ewing is awesome. The Mets have a set outfield for the next decade plus, with Soto in left, Ewing in center, and Bench in right. Additionally, Carson goes on to say the following, according to MetBatFlip. Bench was asked about J.J. Weatherholt signing an 8-year, $112.5 million extension with St. Louis. He said, quote, I'm not sure he was thinking about it before either, end quote. Meaning, that is not the thing to focus on right now. Focus on getting better. Focus on building your prestige. Focus on building a case to be the National League Rookie of the Year. And do your job on the field. Then, worry about the extensions off the field in the offseason when you don't have games to worry about. His thinking is perfect. He has a great line of thought here. Despite Weatherholt's extension, he said his focus remains on playing every day and helping to build a winning future in Queens alongside Ewing. So, let's dive into Dan Morton's New York Post article titled, Carson Bench, A.J. Ewing blossoming into Mets bright spots as extension questions loom. First, though, a comparison between the rookies and fellow rookies like J.J. Weatherholt, who in St. Louis, of course, is doing great, but also was a first-round pick in 2024 out of a Big 12 college, just like Carson Bench. They're also 23 years old and are off to fast starts in their rookie campaigns. Perhaps the main difference between the two, other than the fact that Weatherholt plays second and Bench is the right fielder, is that Weatherholt just signed an 8-year, $112.5 million contract extension that takes him through 2034 with the Cardinals. Bench, meanwhile, remains on his rookie deal with the Mets. Asked if the deal Weatherholt secured was on his mind, Bench laughed and said it wasn't. Here is that statement that he laughed off to. Very simply, he said, I'm sure he wasn't thinking about it either. Correct. Nobody should be worried about their contract. They should just be worried about going out there every single day, performing their best, and helping their ballclub to get wins. And I'm glad that Bench is on that thought process because it is absolutely correct. As for the dynamic duo, and yes, I'm saying dynamic duo despite them both being rookies of Bench and Ewing, Martin had the following to say. In what's been a season to forget so far in Queens, and one that's almost certain to get worse as the August 3rd trade deadline approaches, and the team prepares to sell off what it can, the emergence of Bench and fellow rookie A.J. Ewing is a bright spot. Ewing has settled into the leadoff spot and center field, and the Mets have said the 21-year-old is expected to stay there long-term, despite his ability to play second base. Now, I don't care what position he's at. His defense is an asset. His offense is great. I'm just concerned with the fact that he will be staying here long-term, and I like that phrase from Dan Martin. That is a positive sign. As for Bench, he has continued to hit well after a rough start immediately following his opening day debut. As he showed Friday, he can also make an impact in right field with both his arm and athleticism. Yes, he got off to a slow start. We all know that, but man has he popped off since. He has bloomed as the Mets determine their strategy for the deadline, which could include finding buyers for Saturday starter Freddie Peralta, as well as any bullpen pieces they can trade, whether it's an obvious candidate like lefty A.J. Menter, or perhaps someone more valuable like Luke Weaver, they'll also be keeping an eye on the future. That's almost certain to include both Bench and Ewing, as well as righty Nolan McLean, although there have been no indications that the front office is planning to sign them to a lengthy and expensive deal anytime soon. Again, I'm not worried about it. I think the front office, at least I hope, their plan is to wait until this offseason or a different offseason not to tour them from what they're doing on the field right now and worry about it later. Again, these guys all have five plus years of control left before they hit the free agent market. That is such a long time away. Bench said that he wasn't focused on it and he, like Ewing, concentrated on more immediate things that he could control. So here's a little bit more from Corson that we previously heard. He goes on to say the following, I just want to go out there and play every day, which is what I'm doing. I'm just happy to be on the field and whichever way it goes with the future, I'm going to go out there, play my hardest and have fun. I feel like we both come in every day ready to work, ready to play and ready to play the game the right way. I feel like me and AJ are here together for a long time. We're going to bring a lot of wins to New York. That is awesome. And he's been crushing it, making him a rookie of the year candidate. Yes, I said it. Most of the other lucrative deals that were handed out to rookies this season have involved players who didn't go to college from Detroit's Kevin McCongill, who signed an eight-year $150 million extension to Seattle's Cole Emerson, eight years for 95, and Cooper Pratt, eight years 50.75 with David Stearns' former team, the Brewers. But Benj entered Saturday with a higher war, according to Fangraphs, than all of those guys, all rookies, except for McCongill and J.J. Weatherholt that are on that list. That is some good company to be in and is a really good case for National League Rookie of the Year, especially when you compare it to Weatherholt specifically and even Ewing. Right now, I think it's a toss-up between Benj and Ewing. Am I biased? Sure. But I really think that these guys have a great case. Look at Ewing. Best batting average. Best slugging. Best OPS. Best OPS+. Yes, the numerical statistics are not going to be there because he hasn't been in the league that long. But they are neck and neck right now with Weatherholt. The only guy that could be holding him back is Corson Benj. I understand that Weatherholt's war is going to be high because he's a very good defensive player, but so is AJ Ewing. Look at his advanced metrics. They are very solid. So is Benj Ewing. 76th in expected batting average at a .269, that being percentile. 63rd in walk percentage, 9.9. He is walking 10% of the time. That is excellent. 72nd in outs above average at defensive metric with one. 89th in arm strength with a 91 throw. That means he throws it 91 miles an hour from the outfield. And 95th in sprint speed. He is a jackrabbit at 29.5 miles per hour. And as for Benj, there's possibly even more to talk about. 93rd percentile in base running value. He's a great base runner at a 3. 93rd in expected batting average with a .288. That's also very, very good. 74th in expected slug at a .449. 66th in outs above average with a one. 76th in arm value at one. 98th in arm strength, 94.8 miles an hour. He is throwing it from the outfield. And also 83rd in sprint speed at a 28.6. Moral of the story, these guys are fantastic and need to be keepers for the future. So what are your thoughts on Benj's remarks? Does this derail the Mets from extending him long term, especially with what we heard about the front office not being concerned right now? Personally, I don't think so. I think it's just a matter of waiting until the offseason or a better moment when the Mets are not focused on a fire sale. If so, though, would letting him and or Ewing be the biggest mistake in recent history? Letting them walk? And yes, even more than get this, Frankie Montaugh still being on the payroll. I'm seldomly reminded of that. And I'm just like, OK, I completely forgot. That's a thing. What a move by David Stearns. And what a move it would be if he didn't extend either of these guys. But go down in the comment section. Let me know what you think if you agree or disagree with me. Unfortunately, that's all the time I have for you in today's video. Thank you so much always for watching and let's go Mets.