New Pitch Helps Mets’ Jonah Tong Break Out
Righthander Jonah Tong’s stock rose during the MLB Draft League in 2022, when Mets officials analyzed TrackMan data that piqued their interest.
The Mets drafted Tong in the seventh round that year out of Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro. The 20-year-old pitched sparingly in 2023 before breaking out in the early stages of this season.
Tong struck out 36 batters and allowed zero earned runs through 18.2 innings for Low-A St. Lucie to earn a May 2 promotion to High-A Brooklyn.
Through 10 appearances, he had recorded a 2.01 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 18 walks in 40.1 innings.
“This year he came in throwing a lot more strikes,” Mets farm director Andrew Christie said. “I think that was a product of a lot of the work that was put in from ’22 after the draft to spring training this year.”
Tong’s work with Mets pitcher development challenged him outside of game competition. Included were simulated games and live side sessions in which hitters are faced at sub-maximal intensity and pitchers purposely try to get outs without throwing their best stuff.
It also doesn’t hurt that the 6-fot-1 Tong has built up physically since being drafted, going from 169 to 195 pounds.
When area scout Marlin McPhail vouched for Tong, it carried weight in the Mets’ decision to draft him.
“The biggest thing with the acquisition of a high school player: Is this guy going to work hard to get better,” Christie said. “Is he serious about it? Does he really want to be a big leaguer?
“And Marlin is probably our best area scout at knowing that stuff very well.”
Tong throws a riding fastball with cut action as his most unique pitch, and his development of a hard slider has helped spur his improvement.
“It’s really opened a lot of things up for him, because he can throw it for strikes and he can throw it off the plate, (to his) glove side for chase,” Christie said.
“That has been the real key to both getting more strikeouts and more misses and walking fewer guys.”
