3) Jack Wenninger
Like Thornton, Jack Wenninger couldn’t be found on the Mets’ top 30 prospect list on Baseball America. He put up some solid peripherals in 2024, including a 27.9% K%, 8% walk rate, and 0.86 HR/9. But he still only had a 4.30 ERA. Plus, he saw time out of the bullpen, as only 19 of his 25 outings were starts, and tallied just 115 innings pitched. Most of his struggles came at A-Ball St. Lucie. All of that set a very low bar for Wenninger heading in 2025, but he proceeded to put up outstanding numbers this past season.
Wenninger posted a 2.92 ERA, 3.36 FIP, and 1.15 WHIP at Double-A Binghamton this year. The right-hander struck out 26.4% of opponents with a 7.6% walk rate. He also managed to post an identical 0.86 HR/9, compared to last season. However, the more impressive aspect of his 2025 season was his 26 games started and 135 innings pitched, both of which led all NY Mets minor league hurlers.
Wenninger also had the fourth most IP among all Double-A pitchers, and was one of only ten pitchers across all minor league levels with 130+ IP and a sub-3.00 ERA. Of those ten, only five struck out at least a quarter of opponents. Wenninger’s 18.9% K%-BB% was also the fourth best among those ten hurlers.
The Mets are currently building up a promising core of young pitchers. Jack Wenninger may have inserted himself into that potential core with his 2025 season. He has also become one of the Mets’ top ten prospects on BA, coming in at number nine. He’ll definitely open 2026 at Triple-A Syracuse, putting him on the doorstep of the Major Leagues.