Oklahoma State Professional Athletes

The Carson Benge Story Is the Only One That Matters Right Now

Oklahoma State produced a lot of MLB alumni in 2026. None of them had a week — or a season — quite like Carson Benge.

The Mets right fielder wrapped up a rookie campaign that has the baseball world reaching for historical comparisons, and not modest ones. Benge accomplished something at the plate that had previously been done only by Mike Trout, putting him in rarefied air before his first full season is even officially in the books. The specifics of that milestone, detailed by Heavy Sports, underscore just how legitimate the hype is: this isn't a hot-streak narrative being retrofitted onto a feel-good story. Benge earned it over a full season.

He kept the momentum going into the final week, going 3-for-his-last-at-bats Sunday against Washington with an RBI, closing out the year at a .282 batting average. For a team that finished a disappointing 74-88, Benge was the clearest signal that the future in Queens isn't bleak.

The Soto Endorsement

When Juan Soto — a bonafide superstar and perennial MVP candidate — is going to bat for your Rookie of the Year case, people listen. Soto did exactly that, and then some. Asked what gives him confidence the Mets can contend in 2027 after this year's letdown, Soto's answer was two words: Carson Benge.

"Superstar" is the word Soto and the Mets organization have been using publicly, and it's not organizational spin. It's a genuine endorsement from someone who knows what star-level talent looks like from the inside. Benge is now a prime contender for the NL Rookie of the Year award — an Oklahoma State product making noise on baseball's biggest stage.

McLean Holds His Own

Benge wasn't the only Cowboy worth watching in New York. Pitcher Nolan McLean had a quietly significant season for the Mets, logging 179 2/3 innings — the most of any Mets starter — in a rotation that ranked 23rd in MLB with a 4.47 ERA. McLean was also nominated for the 2026 All-MLB Team alongside Soto, a nod to the workload and consistency he provided on a staff that otherwise struggled.

McLean's season did come with one painful footnote: a collision with first baseman Jared Young that knocked Young unconscious and ended his year early. Young is expected to be ready for Spring Training 2027, but it was a sobering moment in an otherwise solid year for the OSU righty.

Around the Rest of the Cowboy Alumni

The week closed with a handful of other OSU products scattered across the league's final regular-season weekend. Justin Wrobleski turned in 2.0 innings with three strikeouts for the Dodgers in a 5-1 win over San Francisco — a tidy final outing for a team now deep in postseason play. Trevor Martin tossed a frame for the Angels in a loss to Seattle, finishing the year with a 4.11 ERA. Brady Basso had a rougher go of it, allowing four earned runs in his final appearance for Oakland.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand closed out his Red Sox season at .277 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI, while Donovan Walton wrapped at .263 for Oakland.

But make no mistake — this was Benge's week, Benge's season, and increasingly, Benge's future. Oklahoma State's pipeline to the big leagues has a new face, and he just compared favorably to the greatest player of his generation.

Oklahoma State sent two rookies to Flushing this year. By the final week of September, both had etched their names into Mets franchise history.

Benge Makes History — Twice

Carson Benge's 2026 rookie season has been one of the most decorated in New York Mets history, and the last week of September made it official on two fronts.

First, the right fielder became the first rookie in franchise history to go 20-20, reaching the milestone with a home run against the Nationals on Friday. Then, on Saturday, he went 3-for-4 to set the Mets' all-time franchise rookie record for hits in a season — a performance his manager, Andy Green, called "something special."

Benge finished the week hitting safely in every game he played. He added two hits and an RBI double in a 6-3 win over Texas on Wednesday, then contributed a solo shot in a 10-3 shellacking of the Phillies on Saturday — the same game in which he set the hits record. He went into Sunday batting .280.

The 20-20 achievement is a rare power-speed combination that no Mets rookie had ever reached, and Benge did it while playing a majority of the season as a first-year starter. Former Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo, now with Texas, praised Benge during the Rangers series, saying his departure helped create the opening for a new era of Mets outfielders.

Green has already gone on record saying he wants more Oklahoma State stars — a pipeline that, right now, is producing.

McLean Caps a Quiet, Dominant Season

While Benge grabbed the spotlight, fellow Cowboy Nolan McLean quietly put the finishing touches on one of the better rookie pitching campaigns in the National League this year.

McLean made his final start of the season Thursday against the Rangers, throwing seven innings, striking out five, and allowing just two earned runs. His ERA held at 3.16 — eighth-lowest among all NL pitchers — in a season where he went 12-10 across 31 starts. The Mets placed him on a move before the Rangers series, limiting his workload, but his numbers were already locked in.

The question heading into 2027 is whether McLean has cemented himself as the Mets' ace. His final start didn't hurt the case. Manager Andy Green was effusive: "Proud of him."

Walton Provides a Power Punch in Oakland

Across the country, OSU alum Donovan Walton gave the Athletics a boost with his bat. On Thursday, Walton belted a three-run homer — his ninth of the year — in a 7-3 win over the Angels, a game that pushed Los Angeles closer to its first 100-loss season. Walton finished the week batting .268 with multiple appearances.

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For OSU fans, the week served as a reminder of what Stillwater has been sending to the majors: Benge rewriting the record books in Queens, McLean establishing himself as a potential staff anchor, and Walton contributing meaningful at-bats in Oakland. The Cowboys' MLB footprint is real — and growing.

The Collision Heard at Citi Field

Two Oklahoma State alumni were at the center of one of the most frightening scenes in the majors this season — and they were on the same team.

In the sixth inning of the Mets' Thursday night clash with the Phillies, starter Nolan McLean and first baseman Jared Young collided at full speed on a ground ball, McLean's knee slamming directly into Young's head. Young was briefly knocked unconscious and left Citi Field on a stretcher. The Mets confirmed he had feeling in his extremities — he even managed a thumbs-up as he was carted off — but Young was transported to the hospital for evaluation. Interim manager Andy Green called it "a terrifying moment on the baseball field."

The CT scan came back negative, but Young was diagnosed with concussion symptoms and placed on the seven-day concussion IL. He was a 31-year-old first-timer holding down the starting job, hitting .266 with nine homers and 39 RBIs in 103 games before the injury derailed what had been a quietly impressive debut season.

McLean Keeps His ROY Case Intact

What makes the evening even more remarkable: McLean didn't just walk away unscathed — he went on to deliver one of his sharpest outings of the season. The former Cowboy went six innings, allowed just one earned run, and struck out five, keeping his ERA at a tidy 3.18 heading into the stretch run. It was his 30th start of the year.

The performance only strengthened McLean's Rookie of the Year argument. The Sporting News has already flagged him as having the edge over fellow OSU alum Carson Benge in the internal Mets ROY debate — a luxury problem for a franchise with two compelling first-year candidates. His durability and consistency have drawn enough attention that Sports Illustrated floated pairing him with Logan Gilbert in an offseason trade scenario as the foundation of a future Mets rotation.

Benge and Encarnacion-Strand Stay Busy

Benge has been a quiet constant in the Mets lineup all week. The OSU outfielder went 1-for-3 on Thursday, then contributed across a multi-hit weekend — capped by a 3-for-4 showing Saturday with a homer, two RBIs, and two runs scored, lifting his average to .276. He's the kind of steady presence that makes the Mets' future feel genuinely bright.

Meanwhile, Christian Encarnacion-Strand was doing damage in Baltimore. The former Cowboy had a monster Wednesday — three hits, a homer, two RBIs, and three runs scored in a 7-1 Orioles win over the Mets — and added a homer the following day against the Brewers. He's batting .267 on the season and hitting at exactly the right time with Baltimore in playoff contention.

The Bottom Line

Oklahoma State sent two players to the same terrifying moment on a Thursday night in Queens, and somehow both storylines ended with reasons for optimism. Young is out of the hospital. McLean is still one of the best rookie pitching stories in baseball. And Benge and Encarnacion-Strand are reminding the league that Stillwater keeps producing.