MACK. - Tong

 

Ya just sorta knew that the Mets couldn't ignore what Jonah Tong was doing on their affiliates this season. The last time I remember this kind of professional dominance by a Met was when Dwight Goodin came around.

Doc pitched only two minor league seasons for the Mets, the last being for A-Lynchburg where he posted 19 wins in 1983. Who does that for one minor league team?

(Oh... and things are gonna start hoping in AAA-Syracuse. Right now,  the rotation looks like Waddell, Waddell. err... Waddell, you gotta be shittin me. Waddell, and OMG!!! FUCKIN WADDELL!!!)

I hope the Mets will reconsider their decision to go to a full 6-man rotation. You just can't do this to young arms like Tong and Nolan McLean. They have been pitching every fifth game every pro-season they have participated in. You just can't screw around with their arms like that.

Things get even more complicated after Tylor Megill's last rehab outing where he was scheduled to pitch up to 90 pitches.

My hopes is Tong matches his buddy McLean first start dominance. I always thought top, nasty prospects always had the advantage on major league hitters the first time they step in.  Only then does tons of video gets passed around the league to study and decipher.

Who is currently safe before the newbies have now been added?

Well, I assume David Peterson is. Once again, Sean Manaea couldn't through five innings while throwing 90 pitchers. ERA is now past 5.00. Also, I shouldn't have to remind you how much Kodai Senga hasn’t done in his last five outings. That leaves Clay Holmes who really hasn't done enough to lose his gig. His ERA is below 4.00. He has more than nine wins.

Look. Dump this Helsley dude and replace him with Senga or Manaea. Pick one. Then replace the other when Megill is ready. Release Stanek and put the other failed starter in the penRotation: Peterson, Holmes, McLean, Tong, Megill

Pen: Senga and Manaea replace Helsley and Stanek.

YOU'RE AT WAR METS.

ACT LIKE SOLDIERS

Fun times for prospect huggers.

    Tong’s repertoire –

Fastball:     Sits in the mid-90s (93-95 mph, occasionally touching upper-90s). Despite average velocity, it plays above its raw speed due to elite induced vertical break (IVB), averaging over 20 inches, which creates a rising effect. This pitch generates a high whiff rate (43.7-47.3% in Low-A) and is thrown from an over-the-top delivery, drawing comparisons to Tim Lincecum.

Curveball:       Delivered in the high-70s (74-76 mph) with a high spin rate (up to 2800 RPM, compared to MLB average of 2545 RPM). Its sharp, late-breaking action and significant vertical drop (over 65 inches) make it effective for both early strikes and strikeouts.

Slider/Cutter:      Tong throws both a slider (82-84 mph) and a cutter, primarily to right-handed batters. These pitches generate a 62% whiff rate and a 32.5% swinging strike rate in Low-A. The slider has tight break, complementing his curveball, while the cutter adds variety against righties. He uses these less frequently against left-handed batters.

Changeup: Thrown with a Vulcan grip at 84-86 mph, it’s a key off-speed pitch, especially against left-handed batters. It produced a 50% whiff rate over two starts at Triple-A Syracuse, disrupting hitters’ timing and pairing well with his fastball.

Tong’s unorthodox, whip-like delivery enhances deception, though some scouts note his north-south approach may face challenges against advanced hitters. 

Prospect Live –

2025 Top 100 Prospects: End-of-Season Update

https://www.prospectslive.com/2025-top-100-prospects-end-of-season-update/?s=03

21. Jonah Tong, RHP

Scouting Report

If you are a fan of outlier release traits, Jonah Tong is your guy. He is a smaller righty who releases the ball from a sub-six-foot release point and an over-the-top arm slot. This allows everything to play up because of the look it provides hitters; left-handers have an even tougher time picking up the ball from his delivery. Tong's stuff is very good; the fastball and changeup are enough to mow through a lineup once or twice. The fastball from that sub-six-foot release point gets upwards of 19 inches of induced vertical break and is a real weapon when spotted up in the zone. He will then sequence his plus changeup after the fastball up, and he can even get by with throwing right-on-right changeups because of its plus horizontal break, also known as fade. Tong throws the fastball up and the changeup down, which helps mitigate his slightly below-average command. Tong's breaking balls leave a bit to be desired. The curveball is nothing more than a "get me over" curveball that he can spot early in counts to "steal" a strike. The slider lags behind as well; it has good velocity but doesn’t generate a lot of whiffs and is seldomly utilized. Tong throws his fastball and changeup seventy-five percent of the time. There is a lot to like here, as a solid, above-average starter as quickly as early in 2026. - Rhys White

 

Report: Mets Will Call Up Jonah Tong To Start Friday

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/prospect-reports/report-mets-will-call-up-jonah-tong-to-start-friday/

The Mets are calling up righthander Jonah Tong to make his MLB debut on Friday against the Marlins. The 22-year-old leads the minor leagues with 179 strikeouts, a 1.43 ERA and .148 opponent average while pitching at the upper levels. Key to Tong’s breakout this season are increased fastball velocity—it sits in the mid 90s, up several ticks from last year—and a new Vulcan grip on his changeup. The separation on his changeup combined with its horizontal break have made it an out pitch for Tong, whom the Mets drafted out of high school in the seventh round in 2022.

 

What to expect from Mets prospect Tong -- the MiLB K leader -- in the bigs

https://www.mlb.com/news/what-to-expect-from-mets-prospect-jonah-tong-in-mlb?partnerID=web_article-share

The Minor Leagues’ most effective pitcher this season is getting his shot at the Majors.

The Mets are calling up No. 44 overall prospect Jonah Tong to the Major Leagues for the first time, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo confirmed on Tuesday. Tong will make his MLB debut Friday against the Marlins at Citi Field.

The 22-year-old right-hander leads Minor League full-season qualifiers with 179 strikeouts as well as a 1.43 ERA, .148 average-against, 40.5 percent strikeout rate, 29.9 K-BB% and 1.66 FIP over 113 2/3 innings at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse this season. His 0.92 WHIP places second among that group of 196 pitchers. He’s allowed only two homers all season for a 0.2 HR/9 that ranks fifth.

Tong just debuted at the Minors’ top level on Aug. 16 and made only a pair of starts for Syracuse before this ascension. Both were scoreless, and he continued to keep the punchouts coming with 17 over 11 2/3 frames.

The Ontario native – nicknamed The Canadian Cannon – has shown the stuff to back up the results.

Using a trademark over-the-top delivery and above-average extension from a 6-foot-1 frame, Tong has heard ample Tim Lincecum comps over the years. He regularly blows by hitters with a 94-97 mph four-seam fastball with exceptional ride at the top of the zone (i.e. 18-19 inches of induced vertical break on average). Between Double-A and Triple-A, Tong has generated a whiff rate of 36.5 percent against his four-seamer; the MLB average on such a pitch is 21.4 percent.