IN FOCUS: - Mack's #9 Mets Prospects - Nolan McLean, Roster Moves, Jackie Robinson and Carly Simon, Jonah Tong, Mitch Keller, FA Starter Need, Joander Suarez,

 

We continue with my countdown of Mets prospects with…

                     #9 - OF Carson Benge

Carson Benge is a top prospect for the New York Mets, selected as the 19th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft from Oklahoma State University. He’s a 22-year-old outfielder, no longer pitching as he did in college, where he posted a 3.16 ERA alongside a .335 batting average and 1.109 OPS. In 2025, Benge has shown strong performance in the minors. With High-A Brooklyn, he slashed .302/.417/.480 with an .897 OPS over 60 games, hitting 4 home runs, 37 RBIs, and stealing 15 bases. 

Promoted to Double-A Binghamton on June 23, 2025, he’s already made an impact.

Current stat line in Binghamton, as of end of game 7-2:

      22-AB, 1-HR, 2-RBI, .273/.429/.455/.883

 He’s ranked as the Mets’ No. 3 prospect and No. 74 overall by MLB.com. Benge was also selected to play in the 2025 All-Star Futures Game on July 12 in Atlanta, showcasing his potential alongside other top prospects

Thomas Nestico                       @TJStats

Nolan McLean (NYM) was outstanding today as he racked up 10 K across 5.0 IP

The stuff is elite and the command continues to improve. He is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball!

New York Mets                         @Mets

We have made the following roster moves

Jim Koenigsberger                                  @Jimfrombaseball

"I was very proud of Jackie Robinson and my knowing him was a very big deal. Jackie Robinson even taught me to bat lefty, though it never took. I loved him. He always had the cutest look around the side of his mouth, as if he were thinking about what he was about to say before he said it."

"Boys In The Trees"

Carly Simon

"My whole family was crazy about baseball. And whenever the Dodgers were on television and Jackie Robinson stepped up to the plate, my mother would lean over and kiss the screen good luck, so he’d get a hit.

We were so into it, especially Carly, who was a true-blue Dodger fan."

Peter Simon

While Jackie Robinson patrolled second base, his wife, Rachel, was combing  the Connecticut suburbs for a family home. It was a painful search, derailed by racist brokers and neighbours who were afraid that selling to a black family, even to Mr. and Mrs. Jackie Robinson, would cause lower property values, block busting, or worse.

These troubles were chronicled in a local newspaper, attracting the  attention of neighbouring ministers as well as Andrea Simon, a  sharp-eyed, energetic community activist and the wife of publisher Richard Simon. Concerned citizens called a meeting at the Simon home.

Almost immediately, a bond was struck between Rachel Robinson and Andrea Simon; later that afternoon, the pair went house-hunting together.

The Robinson's stayed in the Simon family home while they waited for the completion of their own Stamford house. Andrea and Rachel were now close friends, sharing dinners and the company of their children — Peter,  Carly, Joanna and Lucy Simon, and Jackie Jr., Sharon and David Robinson.

 

Mack –

Before we went disco, WKTU-FM in NYC was called “The Mellow Sound”. We were the second soft rock station ever, first being KNX-FM, Los Angeles.

We got a phone call one day from a friend… Paul Colby, the owner of The Bitter End and The Other End in the Village. He asked if we would keep this hush hush, but offered us the opportunity to come and record Carly playing there. Seems the word was that Carly was deathly afraid of touring and she was about to start doing that in two weeks. This would be an opportunity to play to a “full house” of around 150 regulars of the club.

Of course we did. The backup band was James Taylor, Leeland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and vocals by her sister Lucy. The “show” was less than an hour and the crowd was filled with New York’s finest. Including Mick Jagger, who could not agree to going up and singing background on Your So Vain.

Wonder what happened to the master of that concert?

Jonah Tong’s dominance

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6464300/2025/07/01/mets-pitching-prospects-mclean-sproat-tong/

Tong is one of two Mets prospects (outfielder Carson Benge is the other) headed to the All-Star Futures Game, MLB announced on Monday.

Tong’s numbers at Double A jump off the page: 1.73 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 33 walks, 115 strikeouts in 73 innings.

So why is he still in Binghamton, the same spot where he ended last season (9 1/3 innings)?

Mets officials would probably point to his age and lack of experience. Tong turned 22 years old less than two weeks ago. He was not a college pitcher. And just two years ago, while in the lower levels of the minor leagues, Tong walked a whopping 22 percent of the batters he faced.

It’s unlikely the Mets harbored internal pressure to quickly promote him to Triple A, a place reserved for pitchers they more firmly believe have a shot at helping them in 2025. The Mets’ pitching staff in Triple A is jammed up with such options, especially after all the roster moves the club made this month.

Tong has turned heads, though, so it would nonetheless make sense to reward him with a ticket to Triple A at some point this season, even if others may be closer to helping the Mets.

Tong’s ability to cut his walk rate in half from two years ago (it’s at 11.6 percent) while racking up as many strikeouts and ground balls (56.9 percent) as he does points to an impressive evolution as a pitcher. Tong is armed with an impressive fastball and big curveball. He has worked this season on refining his slider. In particular, the growth of Tong’s changeup, which acts somewhat like a screwball, stands out to evaluators, who describe it as his best secondary pitch.

Trade Targets

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6467560/2025/07/02/mlb-trade-deadline-predictions-alcantara-naylor/   

2. Mitch Keller, RHP, Pirates

A lot of teams have called Pittsburgh to inquire about Keller. The Pirates need offense and realize they’re going to have to trade from their starting rotation to acquire young, impact bats. Keller, 29, has a 3.90 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 17 starts. He’s signed through the 2028 season at an average annual salary of about $18 million. The Cubs and Mets are among the possible landing spots for Keller.

MLB trade deadline Urgency Index 2.0: Who needs what the most?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6464783/2025/07/02/mlb-trade-deadline-urgency-index-2/

STARTERS

This might be a surprising entry to the list. Certainly, the Mets rotation has been pretty good so far. By ERA, it has been fourth! But that park smooths out some wrinkles – away from home, the starters have put up the 13th-best pitching line. That fact, as well as significant injuries to Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill, have the Mets projected as the 16th-best rotation going forward.

That’s something that can be upgraded in all sorts of ways. Sean Manaea coming back will be one, but that’s factored in. Perhaps one of the intriguing prospects with great stuff in the high minors – Blake Tidwell, Nolan McLean or Brandon Sproat – will get an opportunity to shine. But, given that the Mets’ top three starters rank 24th in projections going forward, it seems likely that some of that young depth will be converted into a surer thing. Especially as the Mets slide.

Ernest Dove                               @ernestdove

Mets P prospect Joander Suarez back to normal last 2 starts in AA

12 inn           4 H         1 ER       0 BB       12 K

Has had 2 rough spot starts in AAA & a couple rough AA outings but overall season ERA in AA now 3.29.

Joander Suarez is a right-handed starting pitcher in the New York Mets organization, born February 27, 2000, in Cumana, Venezuela. At 6’3” and 253 pounds, he throws and bats right-handed.

Signed as an international free agent in May 2018 for a $10,000 bonus, Suarez has progressed through the Mets’ minor league system, showing promise despite challenges like Tommy John surgery in 2021.

His fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s, touching 95 MPH with good vertical break, complemented by a high-70s to low-80s curveball with 12-6 drop and a mid-to-high-80s changeup with late fade. Both secondary pitches are developing but show average potential, though he’s struggled with command at times.

His deceptive delivery helps him limit hard contact, as seen in his .191 opponent batting average in the Gulf Coast League in 2019.

Suarez’s 2023 season with High-A Brooklyn was a tale of two halves: a 6.70 ERA through July, then a 3.43 ERA from July to August.

Promoted to Double-A Binghamton, he threw a seven-inning no-hitter in his second start and posted a 0.00 ERA over 18 innings.

In 2025, he’s continued to impress, with a notable June 26 outing for Binghamton: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. His season ERA in Double-A has been reported as low as 2.60 in some outings.

Currently active in the minors, Suarez is Rule 5 Draft-eligible and considered a sleeper for a back-of-the-rotation role if he refines his changeup and command. He’s recovering from his surgery and has been assigned to various Mets affiliates, including Syracuse and Binghamton.

 

Thomas Nestico                                       @TJStats

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