LAS VEGAS — Carson Benge’s impressive debut season ranked among the best in Mets history but left him short of MLB’s top rookie prize.
Sal Stewart was named National League Rookie of the Year on Monday by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, with Benge second in the voting, ahead of JJ Wetherholt.
Benge’s Mets teammate, Nolan McLean — who wasn’t named among the finalists last week — finished fourth in the voting.
Stewart received 20 of the first-place votes. Benge received seven first-place votes and Wetherholt got three.
Benge, 23, thrust himself into contention for the award with a strong August and September, but ultimately couldn’t overcome Stewart’s offensive production.
Stewart, the Reds first baseman, posted a .263/.330/.457 slash line with 32 homers and 112 RBIs.
Benge’s candidacy hinged largely on his 20-20 season (homers and stolen bases) along with his outfield defense. Most notably, Benge led NL right fielders with 10 assists.
His arm was on full display in August when he threw out two runners at the plate in the same inning.
Overall, Benge produced a .282/.346/.430 slash line with 20 homers, 65 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.
“I think I deserve it,” Benge told The Post in late September, when asked about the NL Rookie of the Year award. “I think I showed in the whole season, doing all facets of the game that I did a pretty good job of showcasing my talent.”
Benge had a .498 OPS on May 2 before beginning his offensive surge. He posted an .878 OPS over the season’s final two months.
“Going into [the season] I really had no clue what to expect,” Benge said on MLB Network. “I knew that anyone I was going to be playing against was a lot better than anything I have ever been a part of before, but I always had that confidence in myself and knowing and staying true to myself that I can hang with just about anyone is a big part of my game.”
Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Jacob deGrom and Pete Alonso are the Mets players who have won NL Rookie of the Year.
Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle won the award in the AL after a stellar all-around season that sets him up to be a franchise cornerstone for the next decade.
