After dominance in both Double and Triple-A, Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong is headed to Queens. Tong will make his Major League debut before the end of August, as the Mets look to shore up a playoff spot. The move comes after two incredible seasons by the 22-year-old.
A Look at Tong
The Mets drafted Canadian pitcher Jonah Tong in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft, out of high school in Georgia. Fast forward to today, and Tong’s turned into one of the game’s best pitching prospects.
Signed for $226,000, Tong only tossed 21 innings in his first full season two years ago. He started 2024 back in St. Lucie and quickly blossomed, as he struck out 36 over 18 frames to force a promotion to High-A. From there, the race to the Majors began. Tong struck out 110 over 85 frames with the Cyclones and eventually moved to Double-A to finish out 2024.
Tong torched Double-A hitting, as he struck out 162 over 102 innings, the most in the Eastern League as of August 26. He was promoted to Triple-A on August 11. He didn’t allow a run over 11.2 IP with Syracuse, and struck out 17 with the S-Mets.
So, what makes Tong dangerous on the mound? First off, it starts with the fastball. When Tong was going through his dominance last year, the fastball primarily sat in the 91-93 MPH range. It had a lot of induced, carrying action — and it played, to say the least. But, it wasn’t a blistering fastball (it capped out at 97 MPH in Low-A, an outlier).
The velocity ticked up this season. Down in Triple-A, it topped at 98 MPH but there were a lot of 96s and 97s. Average-wise, it was 95.8 MPH with a mean IVB of 18.7”, creating a powerful mix of velocity and action. During his short sample size with Syracuse, it had a Whiff% of 41.1%, obscene for a fastball.
Additionally, Tong throws from a high arm slot and can create deception by hiding his release. Notice how his arm is nearly out of sight until the release in the above video.
Tong, an over-the-top pitcher as just noted, also works with a slow, mid-70s curveball, as well as a slider and mid-80s changeup. The changeup, which had a 50% Whiff% in the short sample size in Triple-A, worked as Tong’s most-used secondary offering and plays off the formidable fastball.
The Mets will promote Jonah Tong to start on August 29 against the Marlins. It’ll mark his MLB debut.
Analysis
Manager Carlos Mendoza stated that when he confirmed the promotion that despite his having so little experience outside Double-A, it was hard to keep him out of the Majors after dominating the Minor Leagues.
There’ve been examples of pitchers to have success immediately after no Triple-A experience. Bryan Woo and Spencer Schwellenbach are examples of that. Tong doesn’t fit that bill. But, it’s close.
Now, Tong can prove his stuff will work in the Majors and potentially give the team a big boost.
The Mets’ rotation has dealt with its ups and downs this season. Griffin Canning is done for 2025, while Frankie Montas — who bled hits during his first season in Queens — is out for at least the end of the year. Montas was moved to the bullpen this month after inconsistencies.
Tong will become the next notable Mets pitching prospect to join the team in August. Nolan McLean, armed with a powerful sweeper and curveball, along with a heavy sinker, diced through Mariners & Braves hitters across his first two starts. He was promoted two weeks ago.
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