Carson Benge is a draft eligible sophomore outfielder at Oklahoma State who burst onto the collegiate scene as a freshman last year when he slashed .345/.468/.538 with 42 walks and only 32 strikeouts. He’s also utilized on the mound for the Cowboys, but it’s clear that his offensive profile is what MLB clubs will be targeting in this year’s Draft.
Height: | 6’1 |
Weight: | 184 |
DOB: | 1/20/2003 |
So far in 2024, Benge has posted a .300/.419/.518 slash line to go along with a 24/20 BB/K ratio. One thing Benge has struggled with throughout his 1.5 years of college ball to this point is that his production against LHP is lacking a bit. Here’s a look at Benge’s platoon splits from his two seasons at Oklahoma State:
Given that we’re working with a small sample size from Benge’s 2024 campaign thus far, some of his lack of production can be written off to bad luck on balls in play, but it is clear that Benge has far less juice when facing LHP, which is definitely a component of his game that is worth keeping a close eye on as this season progresses.
Now, let’s get into what Benge looks like in the box and the components of his swing:
Frame: | Lean, wiry frame that still has room for added strength/weight in future years. |
Stance/Setup: | Open, semi-crouch, high hands setup with rhythm present pre-pitch. |
Hands/Path: | Rhythmic, medium hand load with slight hitch during load. Hands get back up for a high slot-entry. Some natural loft in path, bat stays in zone for an extended period and also show adjustability to cover most quadrants of the zone. |
Lower Half: | Leg lift trigger/stride to square. Average length stride, foot strike at 45-degrees. Consistent tall posture upon foot strike/launch position. Transitions efficiently from the linear phase to the rotational phase of stroke. |
Approach/Notes: | All-fields oriented approach, plus bat-to-ball skills to go along with average bat speed through the zone. |
Benge’s bread and butter is wearing out the left-center gap and he shows an advanced ability to use the opposite field consistently. He reminds me a lot of Tyler Naquin when he was in college. Let’s take a look at him doing just that:
Benge doesn’t project to be a wall-banger offensively, but rather someone who will be carried by his hit tool and ability to get on base. However, Benge isn’t void of game power, it’s just not the feature of his offensive profile. Here are a couple of Benge’s opposite field HR’s from the 2024 season:
Defensive Notes:
Benge is an above-average runner who gets quality reads off the bat and in turn posses solid range and overall defensive ability at the corner OF positions. Benge also has an easy plus arm which gives him an additional weapon on the defensive side of the ball, and profiles well for a long-term home in RF.
Summation:
I see Benge being a future above-average hit, above-average fielding RF that does the majority of his damage against RHP, with a real possibility that he’s limited to the strong side of a platoon. Benge’s offensive operation is more oriented around contact than thump, and I see his future power production continue to be limited mainly because I only see average bat speed from him.
Benge projects to have above-average plate discipline and on-base ability and easy plus contact rates, his ability to provide offensive production against LHP’s will ultimately be the deciding factor regarding his ability to be in a lineup every day.
