The Mets’ 2026 season has been a mess from almost every angle. The manager is gone, the major offseason moves have blown up, and a team that opened the year looking like a World Series threat is nowhere near the playoff race now.
Still, the year hasn’t been a complete wipeout.
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle pointed to four rookies who have given the Mets something real to hold onto, and in a season this rough, that matters. Doolittle wrote, "This year's rookie class has been a strong one for the Mets," and added, "...
My AXE rating system gives the Mets four of the NL's top 20 rookies: Carson Benge (fourth), Nolan McLean (fifth), A.J. Ewing (ninth) and Zach Thornton (17th)."
That’s a significant silver lining for a club that badly needs one.
Nolan McLean stands out immediately. He’s technically a rookie after making his MLB debut last year, and even if he doesn’t end up taking home NL Rookie of the Year, he has already looked like an ace-level starter. For the Mets, that kind of breakout from a young arm is no small thing.
Zach Thornton is still a bit more of a mystery, but the early signs have been encouraging enough to give Mets fans reason to lean in. The flashes are there, and that alone changes the conversation about what comes next.
Then there’s the outfield pair. Carson Benge and A.J.
Ewing have broken through together, and that gives the Mets a much better long-term outlook in the grass. With Juan Soto alongside them, Benge and Ewing could help shape a very dangerous outfield for years.
So while 2026 will go down as a disaster compared with what the Mets expected, the rookie class has softened the blow. Benge, McLean, Ewing and Thornton have given the team something positive to point to - and in this season, that’s no small rescue.
In Other News...
Pete Alonso Just Gave Mets Fans One Last Emotional Reminder
Pete Alonso has spent enough time around the Mets to know how quickly a season can tilt, so his recent comments about their struggles carried the weight of someone who has lived it. Now with the Baltimore Orioles, he still framed New York as a talented club, but pointed to the familiar mix of injuries and other issues that can drag down even a roster built to contend.
For Mets fans, the most striking part may have been the way Alonso spoke about his own path since leaving Queens. He said hes happy in Baltimore and looked back fondly on his Mets years, including the kind of October moment that tends to stick with a fan base long after a player is gone. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Have A Late Round Pitcher Suddenly Worth Watching Closely
Bryce Jenkins was the kind of late-round draft pick most clubs file away and revisit later, especially after Tommy John surgery cut into his college and early pro workload. The Mets have reason to look back now. In 2026, the 17th-rounder turned in strong numbers across Double-A and High-A, finishing with a 1.66 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP while emerging as one of the organizations better minor league arms.
What makes Jenkins interesting is not just the performance, but the speed with which he could move if the momentum holds. He still looks to be several months from any major league impact, but pitchers who pair strike-throwing with that kind of run prevention tend to keep forcing the conversation. For a Mets club always watching for bullpen help, Jenkins has suddenly become a name worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Fans Just Found A New Reason To Be Excited About Mitch Voit
After a disappointing 2026 season that led to Carlos Mendozas firing, the Mets have spent much of their attention turning toward what comes next, and Mitch Voit is starting to look like one of the names worth circling. The organization named Voit its minor-league Player of the Year after a strong stretch of development following his move up to Double-A Binghamton, a sign that he has kept moving in the right direction as the club tries to build a younger foundation for 2027.
For a team trying to reshape its outlook, awards like this matter because they point to players who are doing more than just holding their own in the system. Voits rise gives Mets fans another reason to keep an eye on the farm, especially with the major-league club in a reset mode and looking for answers from within. The next question is whether this progress becomes a real part of the big-league picture soon enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]