Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong impresses in Triple-A first game

Mets Pitching Prospects Shine in Recent Debuts

This past Saturday, one top Mets pitching prospect truly stood out in Queens, while another stole the show at Syracuse.

Jonah Tong, who was recently promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, experienced a stellar debut against the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate, the Red Wings, leading his team to a 5-0 victory.

The 22-year-old Tong threw 5⅔ shutout innings, giving up just three hits while striking out nine and walking two batters. Impressive, right?

According to the MLB Pipeline, Tong has made quite an impression, boasting a 1.59 ERA across 20 starts at Double-A Binghamton this season.

Although he’s currently seen as a step behind fellow pitching prospects Brandon Sprout and Nolan McLean—both drafted in earlier rounds—Tong seems unfazed about making it to the big leagues. He mentioned earlier this month that he isn’t worried about the timeline for his call-up.

“It’s not really up to me,” he said. “I get it. When you think about it like that, it becomes easier to focus on what you can control.”

The Ontario native has certainly turned things around. Just a couple of seasons ago, he struggled with a 6.00 ERA over 21 innings in Low-A ball. “I think I’ve become stronger,” Tong remarked. “Mentally, too. We’ve made some tweaks here and there… honestly, just gaining experience and facing adversity has really helped me get to this point.”

Earlier on the same Saturday, McLean also had a noteworthy debut for the Mets, pitching five shutout innings with only two hits, eight strikeouts, and four walks. Now, that’s a solid start!