If you look at the Mets MLB Pipeline Top Prospects list, you see the Mets top prospects according to MLB Pipeline are not pitchers. With young players like Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert and Luisangel Acuna leading the way, the best Mets pitching prospect, Christian Scott, is ranked sixth. There has been a lot of talk about Christian Scott and rightfully so. Other names like Dominic Hamel and Blade Tidwell are well known by most Mets fans as part of the future. However, there is more in the Mets minors than just those arms. In this article you will find the arms who fly a little bit under the radar and have shined in St. Lucie, who has a rich list of young and talented arms, highlighted by Jonah Tong.
Jonah Tong:
A 20-year-old righty born in Markham, Canada. Known for his high spin rate Curveball which generates a lot of whiffs. Tong has always generated a lot of strikeouts in his pro career, but the walks were an issue. This year he has improved his walk rate a lot and results have come. The Mets drafted Tong out of High School in Markham, and he made his organizational debut last year.
In his 2023 campaign, Tong pitched to a 6.00 ERA over 21 innings of work between St. Lucie and the Rookie League. In those 21 innings, Tong struck out 38 batters. But the walks! Tong allowed 22 walks over 21 innings, more than a walk per inning. Still, you saw the potential the young Canadian had after being drafted out of a (for me) unknown high school.
So far this year Tong has lowered his walk rate from 9.4 to 3.6 while retaining his ability to strike hitters out. He is unscored upon over 12.2 innings, striking out 27 and walking just 5 hitters. He is good for a 0.79WHIP. (below a Youtube link to me talking about Tong in my Podcast)
Jack Wenninger:
The Mets 6th round pick from last year is having a tremendous year. Coming off an outing where he went six scoreless, allowing just one hit with 10 strikeouts and getting 20 whiffs, he lowered his ERA to 2.50. Another arm who struggled with control in his first season in the organization in 2023 but is showing a lot more control so far in 2024. Weninger went 18 innings, allowing just two walks while striking out 28. Like Tong, it helped the 22-year-old keep his whip down at an impressive 0.72.
He improved his velo as his fastball plays a tick up at 92-94, touching 95. He has a strong mid 80’s Changeup with nice depth and down worth action, a 12-6 and a slider, which is inconsistent. Still, his stuff has played up since his debut season. Another arm to keep a close eye on.
Kade Morris:
Last year’s third round pick for the Mets has been pitching well too. While his overall numbers aren’t as great as the two mentioned before, Morris still has a solid 1.42 ERA. Over 12.2 innings, he allowed some more baserunners, walking 6 and allowing 10 hits. He hasn’t found the strikeouts like Weninger and Tong did, but still struck out 11 over 12.2 innings. There isn’t as much information about Morris, and I haven’t been able to watch him yet. Still, being a third rounder at 21 years old, limiting runs is worth noting. In his college and milb career, Morris is limiting homeruns, which could indicate he is a ground ball machine?
Austin Troesser:
Troesser went back and forth in a start with Jonah Tong, as they both had dominant outings last weekend. A fourth-round pick for the Mets last year, Troesser is off to a good start. In 2023, Troesser pitched just one inning, striking out three but allowing a walk and a hit by pitch. This season he is getting some longer outings to show his starting capabilities. So far in 3 games, Troesser has pitched 11.2 innings. Over those innings, he has 1.54 ERA with a 1.02WHIP. He struck out 16 batters, allowing just 4 walks in that span. Another young arm who is part of a strong St. Lucie Pitching staff. The 22-year-old righty threw 4.2 innings of one run ball over the weekend, striking out the first six batters he faced.
The St. Lucie Mets are stacked with young arms and a fun team to follow. Follow the Queens Connection Podcast if you want to hear about the development of some of the young arms in the Mets minors.
