Jonah Tong, Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors

B/T: R/R      Age: 6/19/2003 (20)
Ht: 6’1″        Wt: 180 lb.
Acquired: 2022 MLB Draft, 7th Round (209 overall)
ETA: 2027 (FanGraphs)
2024 Stats (St. Lucie & Brooklyn) – 0.33 ERA 27 2/3 IP, 12 H, 12 BB, 47 K

As the 2024 baseball season gets underway, there will be players who have breakout starts and show proof of possibly being a sustainable player for the future. One name that has started hot is Jonah Tong, a right-handed starter out of Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham, Ontario. The Mets scouts and staff kept a close eye on him, which led to them drafting him with a 7th-round pick in 2022. As of right now, that looks like a good pick for the Mets, as Tong has shown what kind of potential he has early on this year down in Low-A and now in High-A Brooklyn.

After the draft and signing process, Tong reported to the Mets FCL team in 2023, where he threw 11 2/3 innings while punching out 42% of the batters he faced. Tong then made his way to Low-A in 2023 and threw only 8 1/3 innings. Tong struggled to a 7.04 FIP, and even in the small sample size, this was not a positive sign going into the off-season.

Tong knew he needed to work on limiting his walks, “It kind of drove me almost insane,” Tong told The Athletic.

Tong worked with Mets coaches, including integration pitching coach Garrett Baker, to reduce his walks and integrate a slider into his arsenal. As he worked on his slider, Tong talked to coaches and teammates and listened to many Tyler Glasnow interviews.

The Mets have not had great success developing pitching prospects over the past couple of years, but as of late they have definitely started to change that narrative with the implementation of the organization’s pitching lab. The lab has proved to be a real asset for the team’s future and has been raved about by the young players. Pitching prospect Ben Simon, for example, told MMO in December that the pitching lab is a “very unique” experience and that the Mets organization is giving him and all other pitchers “all the tools.”

Jonah Tong had a great 2nd start after his really solid 1st start:

– 4.0 IP
– 1 H
– 0 ER
– 3 BB
– 10 SO
–

FB topped 97 sat 92. Elite-level numbers from Tong who could be an underrated breakout candidate this year at just 20 years old. pic.twitter.com/RJRZh9hJSS

— Dom B (@DomB92_) April 14, 2024

2024 has been a different story so far – coming out of the gates with a flaming hot start. Over 27 2/3 innings, he has allowed only one earned run while putting up a terrific FIP (1.62) and striking out a phenomenal 43.5% of batters.  Additionally, Tong is generating whiffs at an insane rate of 48.9%, which is the best in all of minor-league baseball this year (min, 200 pitches).

Tong’s stuff has tons of potential, with a fastball that he throws a whopping 59.6%. While it only averages 92 mph (up to 97), the pitch’s movement makes it deadly as it averages 19.9″ IVB” – which is simply just nasty. His main secondary pitch is his curveball, and he will occasionally mix in a change-up and cutter. He is starting to throw the aforementioned slider more. His work this off-season has shown this year as his overall Stuff+ is 113, which grades out as “plus-plus.” Tong bolsters the depth of the farm, and he has proven to be an interesting player to keep an eye on for the rest of this season and beyond.

Tong has some of the best stuff in the Mets organization and should fly up prospects lists if he stays healthy through the 2024 season.