New York Mets announce Minor League Player of the Year Awards

Carson Benge and Jonah Tong receive Mets Minor League Awards

The Mets made Benge their first-round pick a year ago, selecting him 19th overall out of Oklahoma State where he was a two-way player. Benge played just 15 games of Low-A ball for St. Lucie in 2024, but immediately burst onto the scene in 2025, starting the season in High-A and ending it knocking on the doorstep of the big leagues in Triple-A.

In 110 games across all three levels of minor league play, the 22-year-old posted a .279/.380/.460 slash line with 13 home runs, 68 RBIs, 64 walks, and 21 stolen bases. Benge missed time with a hand injury after being hit by a pitch soon after his August 12th promotion to Triple-A, and he subsequently struggled through 15 games for the Syracuse Mets, batting just .130.

But the young outfielder proved why he deserves the praise as the Mets No. 1 prospect during his stretch with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies, where Benge posted a .317 batting average with a .978 OPS and eight home runs in 32 games. With plus speed and a strong arm in the outfield, New York could call on Benge early next season to fill their need in center field.

Tong, who was promoted to Triple-A alongside Benge, Jett Williams, and Ryan Clifford, put together a stunning season in the minors. The 22-year-old right-hander began the season in Double-A, where he pitched to a 1.59 ERA while pacing all other minor leaguers with 162 strikeouts across 20 starts (102.1 IP).

After his promotion, Tong made two starts in Triple-A without surrendering a run and added 17 strikeouts to just eight hits. The Mets had seen enough and called Tong up to make his major league debut on August 29th against the Miami Marlins.

This year's awards mirror 2024, when outfielder Nick Morabito was named the organization's Player of the Year and RHP Brandon Sproat was named Pitcher of the Year. Morabito has regressed slightly, slashing .273/.348/.385 in 118 games for Double-A Binghamton, while Sproat bounced back from a tough start to the year to earn a big league call up just a week after Tong.

After signing Peña to a $5 million international free agent contract in January, the Mets were rewarded with a stellar season of rookie ball. Peña batted .292 with a .949 OPS and nine home runs, while stealing 21 bases on 25 attempts in 55 games with DSL Mets Orange; he was also named the Dominican Summer League Prospect of the Year.

Calvo also turned in an impressive season for DSL Mets Orange, going 5-1 in 11 appearances (nine starts) with a 2.51 ERA and 45 strikeouts. Calvo was recognized as the DSL Pitcher of the Week in July after he struck out eight batters over five hitless innings and was selected as a midseason All-Star. At 6-foot-4 and just 21 years old, Calvo will be an interesting left-handed arm to keep an eye on in the Mets farm system.