In the third round of last year¡¯s Draft, the Mets took a chance on a red-haired, two-way player from Oklahoma State named Nolan McLean. They must have been pleased with that pick, because in the first round of this year¡¯s Draft, the Mets took a chance on a red-haired, two-way player from Oklahoma State named Carson Benge.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given such similarities, McLean and Benge became close friends during their two years together at OSU. Even this past season, as Benge wrapped up his college career and McLean embarked on his professional one, the two spoke almost daily. Benge asked all sorts of questions about pitching, hitting and life in the Minor Leagues. McLean offered insights.

But it wasn¡¯t all business: The two regularly logged on to play Rocket League together and ¡°tear some kids up¡± in their favorite video game.

¡°Right when I got to campus, we were both gingers. We were both two-ways,¡± Benge recalled, laughing. ¡°So really, we kind of stuck to each other and it was kind of fun having him around.¡±

All told, Benge and McLean spent about a year apart after the latter was drafted. On Sunday, the Mets took the first step toward reuniting them when they selected Benge with the 19th overall pick in the 2024 Draft, later adding Duke left-hander Jonathan Santucci with their second-round selection.

¡°He¡¯s been texting my phone nonstop,¡± Benge said of McLean, who is currently playing for Double-A Binghamton. ¡°He wants to hop on a call with me. He¡¯s pretty hyped up.¡±

¡°We¡¯ve been kind of trying to manifest this for a little while now,¡± McLean added. ¡°We always play video games quite a bit. So just every night, we were like, ¡®Man, I hope you become a Met. It would be awesome if we could end up becoming teammates together.¡¯¡±

Although Benge is officially listed as an outfielder, he pitched regularly in college and believes the team will at least consider letting him do both in the Minors. But unlike McLean, whose arm was well ahead of his bat in college and who recently stopped hitting altogether, Benge is clearly an offensive player first. He hit .335/.444/.665 with 18 home runs and 64 RBIs during his sophomore season at OSU, garnering rave reviews for his bat speed and bat-to-ball skills.

¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a lot of stuff that I can¡¯t do with the bat in my hands,¡± Benge said.

Benge wasn¡¯t exactly a pushover on the mound, however, hitting 96 mph on the radar gun while pitching to a 3.16 ERA. MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 18 Draft prospect, the 21-year-old Benge was a semifinalist for the 2024 Dick Howser Trophy, given annually to college baseball¡¯s best player, and for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award.

Mets vice president of amateur scouting Kris Gross believes in Benge¡¯s glove as well, saying he expects the OSU product to stick as a ¡°five-tool¡± center fielder -- despite some scouting reports that point to a future home in right.

As for the two-way thing, Gross demurred when asked if he expects Benge to continue as a pitcher. In McLean¡¯s case, the Mets¡¯ player development team allowed him to continue hitting and pitching until last month, when he began feeling that the combined workload was no longer productive for him.

At some point, Benge may come to a similar conclusion -- though McLean isn¡¯t ruling anything out for his past and future teammate.

¡°He¡¯s one of the most talented people I¡¯ve ever been around from a pure baseball and athleticism standpoint,¡± McLean said. ¡°I¡¯d like to say I set a good example, but Lord knows Carson¡¯s going to be himself and be his own player.¡±

Mets add arm in second round
New York¡¯s second pick, No. 46 overall, also has experience on both sides of the ball.

Mostly an outfielder in high school, Santucci continued hitting on occasion at Duke, though his primary job was as a left-handed starter who missed bats with regularity. Relying on a mid-90s fastball and a low-80s slider, the Massachusetts native struck out 198 batters over 128 1/3 innings in college, including 90 as a junior. His swing-and-miss stuff also resulted in a fair number of walks, which Santucci will try to curb as a professional.

¡°It¡¯s a complete repertoire,¡± Gross said. ¡°It¡¯s a potential starter long term, one we¡¯re very excited about and we think can do good things for the Mets¡¯ organization.¡±