NY Mets rookie Carson Benge has been on fire since radio host jinx wanted him demoted

A 5 for 5 day at the plate on Sunday only furthered the narrative that maybe Carson Benge is a phenom in the making. The New York Mets rookie is now slashing .265/.325/.408 on the season which, while not worthy of any all-time record pace, is significantly better than what he was doing for the first month of the season.

Even into May, there were those who doubted him. His dropped fly ball against the New York Yankees on May 16th, despite a 3 for 4 day at the plate, had former WFAN host and current SNY voice Sal Licata calling for a demotion. Since then, thanks to Jolly Olive, we know Licata’s power of jinxing the Mets can go both ways.

Sal Licata is still jinxing the Mets, just in reverse with Carson Benge

Licata might be as well-known in Atlanta as he is in New York. Back in 2022, his infamous declaration of the NL East being over became bulletin board material for the Atlanta Braves on their way toward winning the division by virtue of a tie-breaker over the Mets. He later apologized in early October once the Mets had to settle for a Wild Card berth and the Braves were declared winners of the division.

As an opinionated talk show host on radio, TV, and wherever you get your podcasts, Licata is never afraid to shy away from extreme takes. Demoting Benge was one of his earlier ones this season which has grown into becoming utterly ridiculous in less than a month’s span.

Benge is now right there among some of the best rookies in baseball, two hits shy of Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds for the most hits in the league. His .733 OPS ranks 14th among all qualified rookies and is trending upward practically every week.

Benge isn’t an early favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors and yet he’s not so far off at the rate he has played. Discovering his power, which he has done to some extent with 4 of his 7 home runs coming in the last 7 games, can catapult Benge into the conversation. 

Mets fans know better to blame or credit anything a pundit may say with how a player performs. But when the call to send a high-performing rookie to the minor leagues because of one mistake comes out from the same voice who was so optimistically wrong about the Mets in the recent past, we need to point it out.

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