9/13/23

Tom Brennan - Don’t Overlook Rhylan Thomas and Jonah Tong; Kids Rocked Citi

 

“Hey, there’s Rhylan and Jonah!” 

I'm Always on the Lookout for Strong Performers

Some guys like Ronny Mauricio get tons of attention and chit chat.

Others don’t.

How about these two under-the-radar guys? 

1) RHYAN THOMAS

A 2022 eleventh round draft pick lacking speed and (so far) power, OF Thomas can do one thing very well: hit for average while limiting strikeouts. 

In point of fact, in his games for the Cyclones, the 22 year old hit .341.

His Brooklyn stat line makes one think of Jeff McNeil, the former 12th rounder-turned-star: 

.341, just 10 Ks in 39 Brooklyn games! Wow. Don’t just scoot past those K per game numbers. This guy seems to fan less than any Mets minor leaguer right now, by a wide margin. 

He then got a recent AA promo, and thru Wednesday, in his first 11 games .343 with a .425 OBP.

And now he’ll even get playoff experience with the Ponies That Rumble.

Only playing in his first full minors year, so let’s see how he can build upon his high-average 2023 season in 2024 in AA. 

His power historically is low, to be fair, and adding power will make him a more plausible future MLB player.

2) JONAH TONG

Drafted in the 7th round in 2022, Tong did not pitch in 2022, and in 2023 threw 21 innings and fanned 38. 

I dunno about you I LOVE nearly 2 Ks per inning.

He is from Canada and appears to be playing catch-up, experience-wise, but the hard-throwing righty is now starting to roll. He will be fascinating to follow in 2024. It would be great if he turned into the next Jake deGrom….the Mets need those sorts of upside surprises.

Tong is wild so far, 22 walks in 21 innings, but 2024 could be a whole different deal.

Two unheralded dudes to watch…Thomas and Tong.

JETT:

Landed in AA last night, 2 for 4, 3 runs.  Super debut. Meanwhile, rehabbing Luis Guillorme is 0 for 10.  Hmmm….

Tidwell fans 9, walks none, in 5 shutout innings. Sweet.

The kids (Butto first win, Mauricio first HR, Vientos 2 hits, Alvarez HR) did superbly last night, and Pete hit # 44.  Pete is a keeper. Stearn is a smart guy.

Matt Olson has 51 HRs.  128 RBIs. Sick.


10 comments:

Mack Ade said...

Butto making a strong case for a backend starter in a transition rotation next year

Tidwell has SP1 cred. Don't rush him

Raw said...

I feel that the Mets minor system has improved a lot since the trade deadline. We have top position prospects and some of the pitching recently have been terrific. What about Joander Suarez and Jordan Geber at AA. Both have a 0.00 ERA after two outings.

Mack Ade said...

The Mets have a bunch of potential MLB starters but.only Tidwell projects as a front end starter.

That's fine.

Stearns has built all his teams around strong pitching

My guess he adds 2 in the off season

In addition look for additional scouts before the next draft

TexasGusCC said...

I found it odd that Acuna and Jackson sat last night, but tonight I’m expecting a very full lineup of Jackson at 3B, Acuna at 2B, and Jordan in LF. Wow. This lineup is impressive.

TexasGusCC said...

Also, if you folks want to go to prospectslive dot com, they did a writeup of the top 50 DSL showings this year. The top ten are free but you need to buy a subscription for the last 40 names, but their praise for #5 Jeremy Rodriguez was noteworthy as they called the Pham trade “highway robbery.”

Tom Brennan said...

On the run today. Good thoughts, fellas.

Lou said...

Butto and Schwartz put them up there with our four Baby Mets. Then add Parada,Williams,Acuna,Gilbert and the four Double A starters and the future doesn’t look too shabby.

Tom Brennan said...

Lou, I agree. The Second Wave.

Gary Seagren said...

Timbuk 3 "The futures so bright I Gotta wear Shades" AND we got Sterns. Funny how we can go from sooooooo disappointing to this I'm pumped! When Mauricio didn't play last night and Baty went out with a tight groin it just highlighted how lucky we are with Lindor and Alonso as they are truly ironmen in the game and we love you guys for it. Now about Olson who of course the Bravos got for a bag of balls I hope our new PBO is paying attention as that is exactly what we must start doing.

Tom Brennan said...

Rhylan Thomas was perfect for Bingo on Sunday. 16 AA games, hitting .353, with just 5 Ks. I’d say he’s ready for AAA. DUDE IS McNeil II.