NY Mets already have a plan to get more out of Jonah Tong

The debut of New York Mets pitcher Jonah Tong in 2025 was highly anticipated. The seventh round draft pick has taken huge strides in every year of his professional career thus far and he seemed more than ready last season, posting a 1.59 ERA across 102 innings with Double-A Binghamton.

His first big league start against the Miami Marlins was outstanding, resulting in six strikeouts and just one earned run across five innings of work. Unfortunately, he'd struggle in his subsequent outings and end the season with a 7.71 ERA across 18.2 innings. Still, we saw flashes of what made him so successful in the upper levels of the minor leagues.

One of the reasons he struggled was his limited arsenal. Despite being a starting pitcher, he really only used two pitches with the occasional curveball. His four-seam fastball had a 57.4% utilization and his changeup had a utilization of 27.5%. To make matters worse, his changeup and fastball often ended up in the heart of the zone, giving opposing hitters too many opportunities to do damage. Aware of this weakness, the Mets already have him in the lab adding to his tool belt.

The Mets are going to tinker with Jonah Tong to build a better machine

In Keith Law's most recent list of Top 100 prospects for The Athletic, he listed Jonah Tong at No. 72, suggesting that he has a floor as a mid-rotation starter if he manages to add a competitive breaking ball that attacks the other parts of the strike zone currently neglected by his fastball and off-speed offerings. It's something the Mets are actively working on and it could be exactly what he needs to maximize the effectiveness of his already electric stuff.

"He’s very north-south, typical for over-the-top guys, using a downward-breaking curveball more in the minors, but the Mets are trying to develop a slider or sweeper he can use to get some more lateral movement and force hitters to think more in four directions rather than two."

Keith Law

His overall pitching style is far different but the organization could even use Nolan McLean as an example. McLean and Tong have very different arm slots and movement profiles on their fastballs but McLean's arsenal was far more diverse last season, throwing a total of six different pitches with different shapes.

It seems like Tong and the Mets are doing everything they can to get the most out of him in 2026. He even reportedly abstained from pitching for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic to focus on battling for a roster spot in spring training. He'll be one of a few prospects that have a chance to impact the major league roster.

After the Freddy Peralta trade which also brought Tobias Myers from Milwaukee, the Mets suddenly have a logjam of starting pitchers for next season and it will be difficult for Tong to have a spot if he doesn't expand his arsenal. Luckily, he's not in a rush at just 22 years old with his rookie status still intact. When he does finally put all the pieces together, it shouldn't be long before he becomes one of the best pitching talents in Queens.