Rising Apple
FanSided

3 NY Mets prospects who suddenly feel untouchable in trade talks

ByJohn Wolff|
Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean participates in the Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean participates in the Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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3) Jonah Tong

If Nolan McLean is kicking down the door to the big leagues, Jonah Tong might be next in line behind him. Through six starts at Double-A Binghamton, he’s posted a 2.57 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 51 strikeouts in just 28 innings. He’s allowed only 16 hits and continues to miss bats with a low-to-mid 90s fastball that moves and a sharp pairing of curve and changeup. The stuff plays, but it’s the results that speak louder.

This isn’t coming out of nowhere. Tong was solid last year with a 3.03 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 160 strikeouts across 113 innings. But he’s taken a step forward in 2025. The one area still lagging is his walk rate, which has climbed from 3.7 to 4.5 per nine, but the overall profile is sharper, more efficient, refined, and more effective. His May 5th start was the best example yet: 6.2 perfect innings with 13 strikeouts, earning him Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

As teams come calling before the deadline, Tong will be the name they ask for. But the Mets might be done reaching into someone else’s barrel, hoping they don’t grab a bad apple. When you’ve got a live arm like this already growing in your system, sometimes it’s better to go straight to the tree. Tong isn’t just rising, he’s developing into the kind of arm you build around. And that makes him untouchable.

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