With March just around the corner and Opening day a little under 4 weeks away it is time to start thinking beyond the realms of possibilities for some of MLB’s best prospects. It is time to know their names, Nolan McLean (left) and Carson Benge (right) who are the Mets number one and two prospects and two of the best in the minor leagues. Once former collegiate teammates at Oklahoma State University will now be teammates once again for the New York Mets in 2026 and beyond.

Nolan McLean has more experience and promise than Carson Benge, highlighted by his spectacular start to his MLB career in 2025. In 8 games started for the Mets, Nolan McLean had a 5-1 record, 2.06 ERA in 48 innings, and struck out 57 batters. In terms of ERA+, Nolan McLean had one of the best numbers across all of MLB for starting pitchers, only behind Paul Skenes’ 217 ERA+. This statistic shows how good the pitcher is compared to league average pitchers, with 100 being league average. With that in mind, McLean was nearly worth double the production of league average. To start your career off that way and nearly be an automatic win when pitching is a big deal. With a few more innings under his belt, he would have been in serious consideration for the Rookie of the Year award in 2025.

Luckily, McLean stayed underneath the 50-inning threshold that would have disqualified him from being in the 2026 race. Let’s say McLean takes home the honor or finishes top three; the Mets would then be granted a first-round draft pick in next year’s draft. It would be the Mets’ first ‘first’ round draft pick since blowing past the last tax threshold, a.k.a. the Cohen Tax, back in 2021 after the Mets splurged on big free agent names, including Max Scherzer.

Nolan McLean was even better in the minors and quickly proved he belongs in the majors. Across Double-A and Triple-A, there was no slowing down for the kid from North Carolina. In 113.2 innings and 21 games, Nolan had 127 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.45 with a record of 8-5. If Nolan manages to be the best rookie in the National League, he will join an illustrious list of Mets to win the award, headlined by Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Jacob deGrom, and Pete Alonso. Joining this list would be the highest honor for McLean.

After recent prospect reports and an amazing start to his career last year, Nolan McLean jumped to top 6 overall prospects and the number one pitching prospect. Using an 80-grade metric to grade prospects, McLean’s scouting grade averages out to a 60 average. With 80 being the best and 10 being the worst, averaging to 60 across all metrics is a really good prospect. His fastball and curveball grade at 60, while his slider is his best and grades at 70. His cutter, changeup, and control are 55, 50, and 50, averaging for a 60 overall.

His first spring training start of the season proved that even more than 2025 was not a fluke start. He pitched 4 innings against the Houston Astros, only letting up one hit and 1 BB while striking out 6 batters. It is great to see this and know he will be a viable force for the Mets’ staff.

As for Carson Benge, he will try to break camp with the Mets and be the first Mets prospect since Pete Alonso in 2019 to break camp with the team out of spring training. He is vying for the last outfield spot in a competition with Mike Tauchman and MJ Melendez. Although, in all fairness, it makes the most sense for Carson to be the starting right fielder for the Mets based on age and his agility in the outfield, ranking as one of the best compared to Melendez and Tauchman, who struggle to stay healthy or consistent.

In 4 games for the 2026 Mets, Carson Benge has produced a slash line of .400/.455/.400/.855 for batting average, on base percentage, slugging, and OPS. He has taken advantage of his small playing sample, with just 11 plate appearances he had 2 runs and 4 hits and one stolen base.

Across three levels in the minors last year from A+ all the way to Triple-A, he played in 116 games, had 124 hits, 15 home runs, 22 stolen bases, and 68 walks, for a slash line of .281/.385/.472/.857 and collected over 208 total bases. This is a career high for him in the minor leagues, as he only got a taste of 15 games in St. Lucie the year before. At Oklahoma State, he didn’t have a batting average lower than .335 across 2 years playing from 2023-2024.

It would be exceptional for Carson to break camp but a borderline top 15 prospect that grades out to a 60 overall it isn’t too crazy to assume he makes major impacts for the Mets in the beginning of the season. His hit tool and arm grades at 60, while his power, field, run all grade at 55. He is destined to be a big impact for the Mets.

From two former collegiate teammates to almost playing in the majors together. It is almost time for the MLB season to start, where we see these two stars, younger than 25, make serious strides at dominating at the pro level. As McLean gets ready to head off for the WBC, Carson Benge looks to ramp up even more as he hopes to claim his right field spot. I am excited for another great season from the Mets and ready to see an epic battle of two former teammates clash for the Rookie of the Year award. If both make it into the top three overall for Rookie of the Year, then the Mets get two first-round picks! Let’s go Mets!

The future is now, and it is seen more than ever with the future of the Mets at our fingertips. I cannot wait to see what both of these young studs can bring to the Mets in 2026 and beyond.