WFAN host laughably tries to stir up Yankees-Mets drama with absurd comparison

George Lombard Jr. has had a couple of hiccups in the field, and suddenly, the critics have come out in force. In the grand scheme of things, Lombard Jr. has hit the ground running and is proving he belongs, but because he's a member of the New York Yankees, he has a target on his back.

One of the wilder shots at that target came via a tweet from WFAN host Paul Rosenberg, as opposing fans have predictably gotten in on the action the moment they noticed poor play.

"Carson Benge is a better player than George Lombard Jr. More dynamic, better in field, better at plate," Rosenberg wrote. "If Benge was playing in the Bronx, Yankees fans would think he's the second coming of Mickey Mantle. Mets fans have to be thrilled."

Rosenberg is clearly a Mets fan, and this is a weird flex. At 60-74 as of the close of business on August 27, the Mets sit 17 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. They are also 10.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot. This is what $380 million got them. If there were ever a team to prove that a salary cap isn't necessary in MLB, it's the Mets.

Their future looks pretty bleak, too. Little Brother in Queens has a ton of needs to fill and not a lot of money coming off the books this offseason. If they're going to retool to contend, it's going to balloon their massive payroll even more.

One of the very few bright spots, and what Rosenberg was alluding to, has been the play of Carson Benge. The 23-year-old is hitting .282/.342/.431 with 16 homers and 19 steals, producing 3.2 fWAR while mostly manning right field. It has thrust him into the thick of the NL Rookie of the Year race.

So we've established that Benge is a good young player with a bright future, but what does that have to do with the new Yankees shortstop?

It's easier to argue that Yankees' rookie George Lombard Jr. is more impressive than Mets outfielder Carson Benge

If we're forced to make the comparison, and we will despite the fact that it's unnecessary, it's easier to say that Lombard Jr. has been the more impressive player thus far.

For starters, he's nearly two and a half years younger than Benge, which has to count for something. At Lombard Jr.'s age, Benge was still at Oklahoma State University, where he had the benefit of playing at a top-tier collegiate program while Lombard Jr. turned pro straight out of high school. The simple fact that Lombard Jr. hasn't been completely overwhelmed counts for something.

Speaking of completely overwhelmed, that's what Benge was during the season's first month. Over his first 27 games, he posted a miserable .525 OPS. Lombard Jr. came out of the gate hot, and even if he's cooled a bit in recent days, he has a .740 OPS through his first 18 contests.

Next, there's the positional value argument. Shortstops are infinitely more valuable and important defensively than right fielders. Furthermore, the Yankees don't need a right fielder. They have the best one in the game once he comes off the IL. What they did need was a shortstop. This is just another reason why the comparison makes little sense.

At the end of the day, we can simply accept that these are both good young players with very promising futures. We don't need to tear one down to build the other up. Doing so only serves to pile on a 21-year-old, who is working through a tiny rough patch. Rosenberg's take isn't based on logic; it's just sour grapes from a bitter Mets fan.

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