Where's the best place for the NY Mets to bat Carson Benge? He doesn't seem to care

Carson Benge felt like a leadoff hitter type. Although he began the year hitting in the bottom of the lineup for the New York Mets, he managed to ascend despite struggles. On April 17, he took his first stab at hitting leadoff despite a .151 batting average.

It turned out to be a smart decision by the Mets, bypassing the idea of holding him down at the bottom of the order or even demoting him after such a slow start. The Mets treated Benge like a guy who knew what he was doing. Maybe he always did. Whether batting first or fourth this season, Benge’s totals are nearly identical.

While a player like Francisco Alvarez has folded whenever the Mets have put him high in the order, Benge hasn’t. It’s partly a timing factor with Benge who moved up after getting his feet, ankles, and knees wet in the big leagues.

Carson Benge doesn’t seem to mind where he hits in the Mets lineup

Benge has fallen in the lineup, not because he didn’t perform but because the Mets have a preference for Francisco Lindor in the number one spot. In 277 chances, he slashed .281/.335/.429. Only a .188/.220/.271 hitter in his 50 tries getting the first hacks of the game, the results in those other instances batting leadoff are more than enough to prove he can handle it.

Batting fourth, his second-most common place in the order, Benge has 181 plate appearances and a .286/.385/.441 slash line. Better by a noticeable amount, it’s not such an extreme where the Mets need to be married to either spot in the lineup.

A solid mix of power and speed, Benge crosses off several check marks that few would to justify a placement at both spots. A.J. Ewing is clearly a top or bottom of the order bat. His limited power requires him to draw walks and steal bases to get the best of him. Benge, on the other hand, is nearing 20 home runs on the season with some room to challenge for 30 in the near future.

Players like Benge whose abilities don’t lock them into any spot in the lineup sometimes fly under the radar. As an added bonus, he has a .717 OPS against lefties and .760 OPS against righties. Even enough, Benge is someone who can fit into any need the Mets may have whether that’s a top run producer, scorer, or even a little bit of both.

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