Mets Top Prospect Jonah Tong Gets the Call to Queens

Less than two weeks after the masterful MLB debut of Nolan McLean, the New York Mets are once again tapping into their minor league system for pitching reinforcements. This time, it is Jonah Tong who is getting the call, Just Baseball’s No. 47 overall prospect.

Tong, a 22-year-old Canadian right-hander, was a seventh-round pick of New York back in 2022, but he has flown through the farm system. So far, 2025 has been Tong’s best season, as he is enjoying arguably the best pitching season in all of the minor leagues.

To kick off the year, Tong made 20 starts at Double-A Binghamton, where he sported a 1.76 ERA. Maybe more impressive, Tong, whose pitching delivery mimics that of Tim Lincecum, struck out 162 batters in 102 innings.

After a promotion to Triple-A, he proceeded to fire 11 ⅔  scoreless innings across two starts, striking out 17. Now, he finds himself en route to Queens, trying to help a rotation that has seen veterans such as Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea struggle in recent weeks.

Overall, the Ontario native leads all minor league pitchers (min. 100 innings) with his 1.43 ERA between two levels. His 179 punchouts also lead the minors; the Yankees’ Carlos Lagrange ranks second with 147.

“He conquered everything we put in front of him,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said in a press conference. “He exceeded our expectations throughout this year, and he put himself in a position where he deserved to be considered for a day like this.”

All stats updated prior to games on August 26.

Jonah Tong’s Arsenal

Tong’s best pitch is his fastball, a pitch that sits in the mid-90s, but is far more deceptive than even the radar gun would suggest. The pitch averages more than 19 inches of induced vertical break, giving it plenty of ride which allows him to dominate with the pitch up in the zone.

His best breaking ball is a slow curveball, and he also throws a sharp slider. The real revelation this year for Tong has been his change-up. In our top 100, Aram Leighton writes about the change-up and how it pairs so well with his fastball.

“An even bigger development than the uptick in velocity has been Tong’s changeup in 2025. Sitting in the mid-80s, the pitch is difficult to pick up out of his hand. It averages roughly 20 inches of total separation from the fastball, one of the highest marks in MiLB.”

While command was an issue for Tong in his inaugural two seasons in minor league ball, he has averaged a more respectable 3.7 walks per nine innings over the past two seasons.

“He’s obviously got the fastball that plays, and that’s been his calling card throughout his time in the minor leagues,” Stearns said.

“What has impressed us the most is the speed with which he’s expanded his arsenal in really effective ways. He’s added a change-up this year that’s been really good, and we’ve seen outings that have shown tremendous maturity on the mound.”

Maturity on the Mound

Tong’s stellar 2025 campaign has garnered him attention beyond just the Mets’ ranks of youngsters. During the 2025 MLB All-Star festivities in Atlanta, he took part in the Futures Game, striking out Mariners prospect Harry Ford as part of a 1-2-3 inning. 

Despite his youth and short stint in Triple-A, the Mets brass are confident that his demeanor on the mound is more than enough to make him a quality option at the big-league level.

“He allows himself to get through outings really successfully, even if he’s not following the exact plan that he thought he was going to follow when he went into the game,” Stearns said. “I think he’s done that in Triple-A in both starts; he’s had success in two straight starts in different ways, and that’s encouraging to see.”

If Tong can provide the Mets with the type of spark that McLean gave earlier this month, it could serve as a shot in the arm for a rotation that has failed to uphold its end of the bargain over the past month.

Senga’s return from an early-summer injury has not gone according to plan, as he has pitched to a 5.40 ERA in eight games since coming off the IL.

Manaea has had struggles of his own after recovering from an oblique strain that kept him out until the final day of the first half. In eight games (seven starts) this season, the 33-year-old southpaw owns an ERA of 5.15. Prior to Tuesday, he had allowed four or more runs in each of his last four starts. 

Beyond those two, David Peterson has been steady, while McLean has lit the league on fire, pitching to a 1.46 ERA in his first two career starts. Finally, Clay Holmes may eventually be shifted to the bullpen, necessitating the need for reinforcements from within. 

The Mets’ rotation has been bitten by the injury bug, with Griffin Canning and Frankie Montas lost for the year. While Stearns chose not to address this concern with trades at the deadline, he acknowledged McLean, Tong, and Just Baseball’s No. 88 overall prospect, Brandon Sproat, were waiting in the wings to assist the big league roster when the right time came.

Now, manager Carlos Mendoza gets to pencil one of the most exciting pitching prospects that the team has had in recent years into the rotation starting on Friday, as the Mets will welcome the Marlins for the second of four games at Citi Field. He will slide into a rotation that needs an additional starting pitcher, thanks to a stretch of 16 games in 16 days. 

“It’s all about him dominating the minor leagues,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “You could make a case that, ‘alright, it’s Double-A, you want to give him a better look at the Triple-A level,’ but man, couple of outings and it’s hard to keep him there… He’s going to get an opportunity for us.”