How excited was Mets' top prospect to meet Soto? It's not exactly fit to print

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Although Carson Benge knew it would happen, he still couldn’t quite prepare himself for his first brush with Juan Soto.

“When I saw Soto,” Benge said of the moment, “I was like, ‘Holy s---.’”

Benge, the Mets’ No. 2 prospect who is competing for a job at Spring Training, became even wider-eyed when Soto approached him last weekend to introduce himself. During a brief conversation, Soto told Benge to simply ask if he ever needs anything.

“It definitely means a lot,” Benge said. “Watching quite a few of these guys growing up and being in the same clubhouse as them is pretty cool. But also understanding that I’m going to be teammates and playing against these guys, there’s kind of a little line there that I’ve got to put out of my mind.”

Although Soto is hardly an elder statesman, the 23-year-old Benge was only a teenager when Soto broke into the league eight years ago. Benge was even younger during the early portion of Francisco Lindor’s career.

Yet in Mets camp, Benge is their peer.

Earlier this spring, the Mets announced that Soto would move to left field, leaving right field potentially open for Benge. While Benge will compete with Tyrone Taylor, Brett Baty and others for at least a share of the starting job, Mets officials have made it clear that he’ll have a real chance to win it. Over the weekend, without prompting, Soto called Benge a “big-time prospect.”

“What I hear is that he’s a great athlete,” Soto said. “He can play center field and right field. Hitting-wise, I haven’t heard much about him. I just met him today. We’re going to see how he goes through Spring Training, but I just heard nothing but good things about him. So I’m really excited to see what he brings to the team.”

Last year over three Minor League levels, Benge hit .281/.385/.472 with 15 homers and 22 stolen bases, while playing strong defense in both center and right field. He was the Mets’ first-round Draft pick in 2024.

Benge previously had a chance to meet some members of the big league club, including Lindor, when he visited Citi Field after signing. But he is still wrapping his mind around the idea of being colleagues with some of the best players in the world.

“They’re human beings, just like me,” Benge said. “So I’m trying to treat it as such.”