How the top 5 NY Mets pitching prospects have started off their 2026 season

At least we have the farm system…it’s often a coping phrase when things haven’t gone well for the New York Mets in recent years. The team managed to turn their farm around in mid-2023 when they hit the eject button on the season.

However, many of those players have since left the organization or flamed out. It hasn’t stopped some risers like Nolan McLean and Carson Benge from climbing to the majors and having a significant role. The Mets went into the year with a highly-regarded farm system, but a mid-season evaluation may change things as many have underperformed.

Sticking specifically to pitching, here’s how the top 5 ranked prospects have performed thus far in 2026.

How the top 5 Mets pitching prospects are doing

1) Jonah Tong

After 8 starts in Triple-A, Jonah Tong is 1-2 with a 4.46 ERA. Some of his other noteworthy stats include 1.5 HR/9, 5.2 BB/9, and 12.9 K/9. This hardly tells the full story of who he has been in Syracuse. He has starts of 4 and 6 innings of one-hit ball as well as another game where he exited after 4.2 innings with 10 strikeouts but 6 earned runs charged to him. Very hit-and-miss results make him more of a puzzle than anything. He was kind of the same with the Mets in the majors. Survivable as a back-end rotation arm, he’s giving me shades of Steven Matz where you can expect brilliance in one start and catastrophe in the next.

2) Jack Wenninger

Jack Wenninger may have passed Tong in terms of excitement because of the results he has gotten in Triple-A. After 6 starts, he’s 3-1 with a 1.27 ERA. Need we dive any further? The 4.8 BB/9 is a bit high and the 9.8 K/9 isn’t at a dominant level. Despite the microscopic ERA, he has a 1.16 WHIP. The high walk rate is largely to blame. A sixth-round pick by the Mets in 2023, he looks as ready as anyone to get big league outs.

3) Jonathan Santucci

One spot down in Double-A, we find Jonathan Santucci. His most recent start was his best of the year, lasting 6.1 innings and punching out 7 hitters. Overall, he’s 0-4 with a middling 4.61 ERA. It’s a stark contrast from the 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA he had in 10 Double-A starts last year. The strikeouts are slightly up from 11.3 K/9 to 12.5 K/9. The walks have increased with it, going from 3.2 BB/9 to 5.6 BB/9. Finding his control will be key for a promotion.

4) Will Watson

Unfortunately, Will Watson has fallen off greatly. He rose quickly through the system last year and combined to have a 2.60 ERA from A-Ball up until Double-A. After 6 starts with Binghamton, things aren’t looking up. He is 0-5 with an 8.55 ERA. Walks are at 5.4 per 9 and he has an unsurprising 1.90 WHIP. A promising prospect after last year, a drastic turnaround is needed for him to stay on the same trajectory he was when the year began.

5) Zach Thornton

Zach Thornton was recently promoted from Double-A to Triple-A so there isn’t a fair enough evaluation to make about his progress other than to acknowledge he’s fairly one step below the majors. He had a 3.60 ERA with the Rumble Ponies and his first Triple-A start was a 6 inning, 3 earned runs encounter. It’s positive progress for Thornton whose next challenge is to not fall into the Syracuse trap which seems to knock down many Mets pitching prospects.

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