Breakout Mets prospect is getting promoted to the next level with all 146 of his strikeouts

A breakout season will end in Double-A for one of the best Mets pitching prospects they have.

New York Mets v Los Angeles Angels
New York Mets v Los Angeles Angels / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

Unless you kept a close eye on New York Mets prospects not even within the top rankings, you might not have known the name Jonah Tong. Tong had an abysmal debut season in 2023, pitching to a 6.00 ERA in the lower levels of the minor leagues. Control was an issue. He walked 22 in 21 innings of work.

Tong got to work and completely turned his path around. Absolutely dominant in St. Lucie for 18.2 innings to begin the year without an earned run, he has been with the Brooklyn Cyclones for the last 85 frames he has tossed. Not anymore. He is reportedly getting called up for the final month of the season.

Mets prospect Jonah Tong will get a taste of Binghamton this season

Tong wasn’t nearly as red hot in High-A but how could he possibly maintain the same mastery from St. Lucie? His 2.4 walks per 9 were a delight to see. More eye-popping were the 17.4 strikeouts.

Tong would eventually give up some runs. He departs from Brooklyn 5-4 with a 3.71 ERA. The walks did return yet not with some furious vengeance. He issued bases on balls at a 4 per 9 innings rate. His strikeout totals remained strong, picking them up at a rate of 11.6 per 9.

Combining his totals at both levels, Tong is 6-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 2024 with 146 strikeouts in 103.2 innings.

In a year where many of the better Mets pitching prospects have struggled in Triple-A, it has been a reward to see someone few had on their radar perform so well. Tong’s late-season promotion will make it a little more possible that he becomes an option late next season even in a relief role. Getting his feet wet now with a plan to dive shoulder deep to begin 2025 will put him in the mix as one of the end-of-year solutions.

Double-A is no longer merely a stepping stone to Triple-A. In times of need, teams will accelerate a player even for just a single day. MLB Pipeline has his MLB ETA conservatively at 2026 and they’re probably right. Start off next season like he did the 2024 campaign and it moves up.

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