Our final Double-A numbers deep dive of 2025 focuses on the Eastern League. Jonah Tong, Connelly Early, and Rafael Flores were among the players who parlayed a strong year in the Eastern League to a spot on an MLB roster. And all three were among statistical standouts in the league this past year.
The traditional numbers
Thirty-eight hitters had at least 10 home runs this past season, headlined by Mets prospect Ryan Clifford. Clifford, acquired over two years ago via the Justin Verlander trade to Houston, had 24 home runs over 105 games. He beat out Pirates prospect Nick Cimillo, who was one of three players, alongside Clifford and Tyler Hardman, to have at least 20 home runs.
The hit king in the Eastern League was Phillip Glasser, the Nationals prospect who had 125 hits over 112 games. However, Felix Reyes, who only played 95 games, came close with 123. The two finished among the thirty hitters with the lowest Whiff% in the Eastern League (more on that in a bit).
Phillies shortstop prospect Aidan Miller not only posted a .809 OPS this past season in the Eastern League. Miller led the circuit in total stolen bases (52).
Moving on to pitching. Jonah Tong dominated Double-A hitters en route to his MLB debut this past September. Tong struck out a league-best 162 batters, as he beat hitters in multiple ways. His teammate, Jack Wenninger, struck out 147 to finish second in that category.
Former Florida Gator and current Guardians pitching prospect Tommy Mace led the league in walks (67).
Whiff rates
Let’s start with the best pitcher whiff rates in the Eastern League:
| Player | MLB Team | Whiff% |
|---|---|---|
| Nate Garkow | Blue Jays | 48.9% |
| Trey Yesavage | Blue Jays | 42.9% |
| Jonah Tong | Mets | 40.0% |
| Jonathan Santucci | Mets | 39.7% |
| Jarlin Susana | Nationals | 39.3% |
| Ryan Lambert | Mets | 38.4% |
| John McMillon | Phillies | 38.0% |
| Felipe De La Cruz | Mets | 37.4% |
| Welinton Herrera | Rockies | 36.7% |
| Griff McGarry | Nationals | 36.6% |
There’s a lot of star power among the top ten on this list.
We’ve already mentioned Jonah Tong, who had no trouble at the Double-A level. But he was just one of several standout pitchers. Jonathan Santucci struck out 63 over 50 innings at Double-A, looking more like the elite ace he looked like he could become at Duke.
Welinton Herrera, Jarlin Susana, and 2025 Rule 5 Draft pick Griff McGarry were among other notables.
However, on top was 28-year-old Blue Jays relief pitcher prospect Nate Garkow. Garkow, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024, struck out 54 over 37 innings in New Hampshire. Opposing batters hit .098 off him this season in Double-A.
Moving down this list, there were other notable names outside the top-10. Carlos Lagrange (14th, 36.0%), Juaron Watts-Brown (11th, 36.4%), Connelly Early (21st, 34.5%), McCade Brown (24th, 33.4%) were among the other notables inside the top-30.
Flipping the script
Now, let’s take a look at the hitters who had the most swing-and-miss troubles:
| Player | MLB Team | Whiff% |
|---|---|---|
| Cade Fergus | Phillies | 44.8% |
| Caden Rose | Red Sox | 43.7% |
| Spencer Jones | Yankees | 43.3% |
| Zach Kokoska | Rockies | 41.7% |
| GJ Hill | Rockies | 40.6% |
| Jace Bohrofen | Blue Jays | 40.3% |
| Carlos De La Cruz | Nationals | 39.1% |
| Benny Montgomery | Rockies | 38.3% |
| Alex De Jesus | Blue Jays | 37.5% |
| Maxwell Romero Jr. | Nationals | 37.4% |
Perhaps the name that stands out the most on this list is Spencer Jones — and for good reason.
Jones batted .274 in Double-A Somerset this season, a slight uptick from the .259 average he sported a year ago at the same level. However, those strikeout problems are still very much there. Despite 32 walks, Jones struck out 70 times in 49 games.
There’s no doubt that Jones is a talented athlete. He’s fast for his size and possesses bat speed and raw power. The question is whether those swing-and-miss problems will become an even bigger problem at the MLB level. Usually, the Whiff% goes up, not down, the higher one goes in the organizational food chain.
We’ll find out soon, as Jones was recently added to the Yanks’ 40-man roster.
Another notable name on this list was Benny Montgomery, a former first-round pick by the Rockies who was left unprotected for the Rule 5 Draft. He was not taken.
Montgomery had a very difficult season, as he whiffed a lot and didn’t elevate the ball too much. He posted an EL-high 58.8% GB%.
Moving down the list, other notable players in the bottom 30 of this category were Thayron Liranzo (15th, 36.1%) and Charlie Condon (29th, 32.9%).
As for players on the other side of this list, Giants prospect Turner Hill (12.5%) had the lowest Whiff% among players who qualified for this list. Pirates prospect Mitch Jebb (13.8%) finished a close second.
Other players who made very consistent contact at the Double-A level include now-Twins prospect Hendry Mendez (3rd, 14.5%), Travis Bazzana (16th, 19.4%), and Cooper Ingle (15th, 19.4%).
Looking at the first pitch
Let’s take a look at the pitchers who had the highest First Pitch Strike%:
| Player | MLB Team | First Pitch Strike% |
|---|---|---|
| Brendan Beck | Yankees | 72.4% |
| Grant Rogers | Blue Jays | 68.5% |
| Justin Meis | Pirates | 67.6% |
| Nestor German | Orioles | 67.0% |
| Joshua Cornielly | Mets | 66.7% |
Brendan Beck was hit around a little bit more in Triple-A this season. However, Beck, who has dealt with injuries throughout his professional career, did very well in Somerset.
Beck struck out 52 over 54.1 and walked just 12 for the Patriots. The one knock on him is that he didn’t miss a ton of bats (26.8% Whiff%).
Take kings
Here’s a look at the best take hitters:
| Player | MLB Team | Take% |
|---|---|---|
| Tres Gonzalez | Pirates | 63.5% |
| Trent Farquhar | Phillies | 63.4% |
| Cooper Ingle | Guardians | 62.7% |
| Devonte Brown | Blue Jays | 62.6% |
| Wyatt Hendrie | Pirates | 62.4% |
Before his promotion to Columbus, Cooper Ingle walked a lot in Double-A. Ingle walked 65 times over 92 games, third-most in the circuit behind Diego Velasquez (70) and Aidan Miller (73).
Hard hitters
| Player | MLB Team | Modified Hard-Hit% |
|---|---|---|
| Keaton Anthony | Phillies | 18.8% |
| Zach Kokoska | Rockies | 18.4% |
| Silas Ardoin | Orioles | 18.3% |
| Jace Bohrofen | Blue Jays | 18.3% |
| Sam Brown | Nationals | 18.3% |
| Rafael Flores | Pirates | 17.2% |
| Felix Reyes | Phillies | 16.9% |
| Nick Schnell | Padres | 16.8% |
| Kahlil Watson | Guardians | 16.8% |
| Jeremiah Jackson | Orioles | 16.3% |
Rafael Flores and Jeremiah Jackson, who made their MLB debuts this past season, are in the top ten.
Groundball masters
Lastly, a look at the best groundball pitchers in the Eastern League:
| Player | MLB Team | GB% |
|---|---|---|
| Wilkin Ramos | Pirates | 62.3% |
| Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz | Yankees | 59.1% |
| Chance Huff | Nationals | 58.0% |
| CJ Van Eyk | Blue Jays | 57.0% |
| Andrew Walling | Phillies | 56.0% |
| Gabriel Hughes | Rockies | 55.3% |
| Baron Stuart | Yankees | 54.5% |
| Jonah Tong | Mets | 54.4% |
| Gabriel Jackson | Red Sox | 52.9% |
Interestingly enough, Jonah Tong had one of the highest GB% rates in the Eastern League, even though his batted-ball profile leaned the opposite at the MLB level.
Tong is a heavy four-seam fastball pitcher, one who — at least from a practical standpoint — would be a prime candidate to induce a lot of pop-ups and fly balls. However, he’s also got a curveball and a vulcan change, which have been his two secondary offerings.
Those two pitches are prime ground-ball weapons when used down in the zone effectively, the kind of pitches that can be used to get topped contact.
John Holobetz (51.9%), Jonathan Santucci (51.7%), and Connelly Early (48.5%) were among other pitchers in the top-20.
Check out more of our Minor League coverage.