Mets Top Prospect Carson Benge Trained With This Baseball Family in Offseason

Across the winter, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns praised Benge for his development and made it clear that his No. 2 ranked prospect would have the opportunity to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training. His belief in Benge was reinforced even further by Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, who reported that the outfielder was effectively off limits when the Mets negotiated with the Milwaukee Brewers for starting pitcher Freddy Peralta.

With a clear chance to make it to The Show, Benge is now putting in the work - which included some time with one of baseball's most well-known families.

Carson Benge trained with the Holliday family this winter

According to Rosenthal and Sammon's reports, Benge is already in Port St. Lucie, Florida (where the Mets' spring training facility is located), to continue his training. Before that, however, he spent time with the Holliday family this offseason and participated in hitting sessions with them; this likely included Matt Holliday, a memorable slugger with the Colorado Rockies, and two of his sons, Jackson and Ethan.

For long-time baseball fans, Matt Holliday needs no introduction. The now 46-year-old enjoyed a 15-season career with the Rockies, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees and hit .299/.379/.510 with 316 home runs, 1,220 RBI, a 135 wRC+ and 49.5 fWAR. A seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger recipient, Matt is best known for his 2007 season when he won the NL batting title (.340), finished second in NL MVP voting (behind Jimmy Rollins) and won NLCS MVP to lead the Rockies to their only pennant to date.

As for Matt's sons, both Jackson and Ethan are blue-chip prospects looking to make names for themselves, similar to Benge. Jackson was selected first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft (two years before Benge) and is aiming to break out as the Baltimore Orioles' second baseman of the future. Ethan was the fourth overall selection in last year's draft, taken by the Rockies; prior to being drafted, he was committed to play for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, with whom Benge played for two years.

Considering there are college ties between Benge and the Hollidays, it shouldn't be too surprising that the Mets' top outfield prospect chose to train with them. But it does provide a great sign of the 23-year-old's work ethic, as does his continued training in Port St. Lucie; the Mets' first full-squad workout of spring training isn't until February 16.

Getting to work out with a former major league star and his two up-and-coming sons is certainly a fun event for baseball fans. But Benge's laser-focus on his goal of making the Mets' Opening Day roster is what really should get fans excited.

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