New York Mets top pitching prospect Jonah Tong is dominating this season for their Double-A affiliate, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Tong leads Minor League Baseball in strikeouts this season with 154. He has started 19 games and thrown 97 innings, with a 1.58 ERA.
Jonah Tong this season in the minors:
8-4
1.66 ERA
92.0 IP
146 KHe takes the mound today as the strikeout leader in all of the MiLB. It’s really time for him to get a promotion. pic.twitter.com/FnxMJdg9oh
— MetsMuse (@MetsMuse) August 5, 2025
Tong was born in Markham, Ontario, about 30 minutes from Toronto. His father is fully Chinese. Tong stands 6-foot-1, weighs 180 pounds, and throws a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. The right-hander’s fastball tops out at about 94 mph, but it has late life and good extension, making it appear much faster to hitters. His curveball is seen as his best pitch, with a 65-inch vertical drop.
The 22-year-old recently added to his impressive 2025 campaign with five scoreless innings against the New York Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, the Somerset Patriots, on Aug. 4 at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J. He also struck out eight batters, and his 150th strikeout came against second baseman Max Burt in the third inning.
Jonah Tong was dominant again today for Double-A Binghamton as he threw 5 scoreless innings (82 pitches, 46 strikes)
5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K pic.twitter.com/BdUIfn8ji3
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 5, 2025
Tong also caught a lot of people’s attention at the MLB Futures All-Star Game on July 12 at Truist Park in Atlanta. He struck out Seattle Mariners top prospect catcher Harry Ford on a curveball in the second inning of the National League’s 4-2 win over the American League.
Before being drafted, Tong played in the MLB Draft League for the Frederick Keys in 2022 and posted a 10.80 ERA in 11 2/3 innings as an 18-year-old. On July 18, 2022, Tong was drafted by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro, Ga. He was committed to the North Dakota State Bison, but opted to go pro instead.
He made his professional debut with the Mets in 2023 with their Florida Complex League team. He also pitched with their Low-A affiliate, the St. Lucie Mets later on during that same calendar year.
Tong continued his growth in 2024, pitching at three levels and finishing with the Rumble Ponies. In his MiLB career, Tong has racked up a staggering 352 strikeouts in 231 innings, with an ERA of 2.75.
From an afterthought in the MLB Draft League to a star rising through the Mets’ farm system, it has been an incredible journey for Jonah Tong.
WBN MiLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/minor-league-baseball/
Photo: Jonah Tong pitching at the 2025 MLB All-Star futures game in Atlanta via @jonah.tong on Instagram
