MACK - Top 28 Prospects - #7 - RHSP - Jack Wenninger

 

The excitement about the Mets' prospect pipeline has been building year over year as the team improves their domestic and international scouting.  Many of the Mets' picks are being discussed throughout baseball, so Mack has boiled it down to the top 28 to give the readers a glimpse into the team's future.  This series will run for 28 days, counting down from #28 to #1.  The entire list can be viewed by clicking "2026 Top 28 Prospects" on the top menu bar.

7.     Jack Wenninger

6-4      210      turns 24 in March    6th rd. 2023, Illinois-Champaign

2025 – 26-ST, 12-6, 2.92, 1.15, 135.2-IP, 147-K, 42-BB

GROK -

Jack Wenninger (full name: Jonathan Andrew Wenninger) is a promising right-handed starting pitcher in the New York Mets' minor league system. He signed for a $225,000 bonus and has quickly risen through the ranks.

Viewed as a potential mid-rotation starter with an estimated MLB debut in 2026.

Wenninger's path to pro ball was marked by steady improvement. He began at D-III Judson University before transferring to Murray State (D-I) for his freshman year in 2021, where he posted a 5.26 ERA over 51.1 innings with 42 strikeouts and 27 walks.

He then moved to the University of Illinois for his sophomore and junior seasons, anchoring their weekend rotation. In 2023, his draft year, he went 6-4 with a 4.59 ERA across 80.1 innings, striking out 76 while walking 28—showing command but room for swing-and-miss upside.

Scouts praised his athleticism, simple delivery (high-three-quarters arm slot with good extension), and physical projection, noting he added velocity and refined his secondaries during college.

Since signing with the Mets, Wenninger has progressed rapidly:

2023 (Short-Season): Limited action in the Florida Complex League and with High-A Brooklyn, focusing on adjustment.

2024 (Single-A St. Lucie / High-A Brooklyn): Appeared in 25 games (19 starts), logging 115 innings with a 4.30 ERA, 1.278 WHIP, 140 strikeouts, and 40 walks. His surface stats were solid, but advanced metrics (3.97 FIP, 3.02 xFIP) suggested even more potential, especially after a strong second half at High-A.

2025 (Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies): Breakout year! He tied for the minor-league lead in wins (12-6).

His command has improved markedly (low walk rates), and he's become a workhorse, eating innings while missing bats.

Mets farm director Andrew Christie has called him an "awesome worker" and athlete.

Pitching Repertoire

Wenninger's arsenal is a four-pitch mix emphasizing deception and north-south movement, thrown from an over-the-top slot that adds perceived velocity. He relies heavily on fastball-changeup (~90% usage in college), but has developed his breaking balls for better sequencing. Key pitches:Pitch

Four-Seam Fastball - 90-94 mph (touches 96-97 mph). Heavy ride (18 inches vertical break, 13.5 inches horizontal arm-side run). Plays up due to extension and slot. Primary pitch (40-50% usage); command can be spotty but improved in 2025. Low-to-mid 90s velo fits starter profile.

Splitter/Changeup 82-85 mph. His standout offering—tunnels seamlessly with the fastball, fades arm-side with sharp drop. Supreme feel; generates whiffs vs. LHB/RHB. Bread-and-butter putaway pitch (30-40% usage); "disgusting" fade seen in playoff at-bats. Best secondary, projects plus.

Curveball  77-80 mph. 12-6 shape with depth; still developing control but effective for stealing strikes. ~10% usage; pairs well with splitter for vertical plane attacks.

Slider   82-85 mph. Gyro spin for lateral sweep; sharper than curve, used for back-door calls and righty chases. Emerging (~10% usage); added bite in 2025, shown in sequences like two back-door sliders before a changeup KO shot.

Overall, his stuff grades average-to-above (fastball/slider 50-55, changeup 60, curve 45 on 20-80 scale), but the tunneling and sequencing make it play up. In 2025, he evolved into a strike-thrower who can dominate both sides of the plate, with the splitter as his separator.

Keep an eye on spring training 2026

MACK – seasoned readers here know I have been in on this guy for a couple of seasons now. First, he was my helium alert… now he has graduated to the next best thing that will become a major league Met. When? Well, a lot of this will be determined on how the current rotation pans out. McLean is in it. Sproat and Tong will follow. Then, here comes Jack…

 

11-7-2025

JUST BASEBALL

9. Jack Wenninger – RHP – (Double-A)

Height/Weight: 6’4″, 230 | Bat/Throw: L/R | 6th Round (186) – NYM (2023) | ETA: 2026

A sixth round pick in 2023, Wenninger’s fastball jumped nearly three ticks in 2025, facilitating a breakout as he nearly halved his ERA in his first year at Double-A while tossing 135 2/3 innings.

Arsenal

After averaging roughly 92.5 MPH on his heater in 2024, Wenninger sat above 95 MPH in 2025, seeing his velocity continue to climb as the season progressed. Over his final 10 starts, Wenninger averaged 95.8 MPH with his four seamer and a half tick below that with his sinker.

Wenninger’s four seamer gets some run and ride, generating good whiff numbers within the zone and really crowding right-handed hitters on the inner half hitting just .170 against the pitch at Double-A.

His best pitch is his plus splitter in the mid 80s, getting plenty of vertical separation from the fastball, often looking like it runs out of gas just before home plate. While it is his preferred secondary to lefties, the way the pitch works off of his fastball makes it effective to righties as well, generating a chase rate north of 40% while going to more than 20% of the time.

Wenninger’s go-to secondary against righties is his mid 80s gyro slider. He’ll throw it nearly 30% of the time to same-handed hitters with far better results than when he mixes it in to lefties. It’s likely an average third offering that flashes above.

Outlook

Already comfortable filling up the zone with each of his offerings, Wenninger was able to maintain a walk rate south of 8% as his quality of stuff took a massive leap in 2025.

The strike throwing ability and pitch mix give him a great chance to sit in the back of a rotation as a sturdy innings eater. Wenninger has the upside of a No. 4 starter and reached closer to that with the way he closed out his season at Double-A, making him a candidate to see big league action with the Mets in 2026.

 

11-8-2025

Tom Brennan/MM

11. RHP Jack Wenninger

Wenninger has been terrific. Deservedly deserves # 11.

The 6’4” righty, drafted in the 6th round in 2023, went 12-6, in AA Binghamton, with a  2.92 ERA and 147 Ks in 136 innings, and a 1.15 WHIP. 

And Jack was a post-season KILLER, going 2-0, 1.64 ERA in 11 innings, allowing just 4 hits and punching out TWENTY.

He has a terrific 311 pro Ks in 264 innings in 2024 and 2025.

He sometimes hits 96, but is not a flame thrower. However, he has an awesome change up and good slider. 

AAA awaits, and my wish? May he crush it in 2026.

Jack could make his Mets debut some time during 2026.

 

12-13-2025

MACK/MM

Jack Wenninger –

2025 – AA Binghamton:  26-ST, 12-6, 2.92, 1.15, 135.2-IP, 147-K, 42-BB

Every organization has someone no one talks about. I call it “the quiet one”. Well, that’s Jack. Question? When was the last time you saw ink on this guy? All you every ready about is McLean, Tong, and Sproat. Sounds like a law firm specializing in accident recovery. Well, regular readers here will tell you how early I began touting Wenninger. 2026 should be the year he stands out in Syracuse and becomes a true 2027 starter option. I believe he has the potential to become the Don Drysdale on this team. Oh… youngins… look him up.

 

1-5-2025

ANGRY MIKE/MM

Jack Wenninger is yet another Mets SP prospect who delivered an exciting breakout performance during the 2025 season, as a part of an absolutely STACKED Binghamton rotation. After finishing strong during the 2024 season, Wenninger earned the Opening Day start for the Rumble Ponies, firing five shutout innings of two-hit ball, with seven strikeouts, which became the blueprint for the majority of his starts all year. Wenninger exhibited a significant uptick in velocity towards the  end of the 2024 season and he was able to carry that over into the 2025 season, while also flashing improved overall command, and improved secondary pitches.

Improved arsenal and improved command, was all he needed to finish among the Double-A Eastern League leaders in ERA, wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, K-Rate, and K/9, Wenninger finished behind Tong for the second consecutive season in strikeouts.  As a member of the best rotation in the Minors, which included Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Zach Thornton, and Jonathan Santucci at various points in the season, it’s not easy to deliver performances that help you stand out. Despite the tremendous star power taking the hill each night, Wenninger proved once again the Mets drafted an absolute bulldog in the 6th round of a stellar 2023 Draft Class.

Wenninger’s raised his prospect profile significantly from a back-end SP, into a legit #3 SP or better if his velocity continues trending in the right direction and he is able to sharpen his curveball and slider to match the effectiveness of his splitter. He’s a hard worker, with a very dedicated, professional approach to improving himself, and he has the natural ability to continue improving his prospect profile. Even if his future is as a SP, Wenninger offers significant upside as a high-leverage RP, becuz of how effective his splits were against both RHB (0.237 BAA) and LHB (0.208 BAA).