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New York Mets No. 4 Prospect Jonah Tong First Minor Leaguer to 100 Strikeouts in 2025 for Double-A Binghamton

 Matt Tallarini - World Baseball Network  |    Jun 22nd, 2025 11:09am EDT
Jonah Tong (6-3) allowed just two hits over a career-high seven and two thirds innings, with one walk and 11 strikeouts, as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (44-22) shutout the Harrisburg Senators 5-0 on Saturday night at FNB Field.

New York Mets right-handed pitcher Jonah Tong, ranked No. 4 in the organization by MLBPipeline.com, became the first minor leaguer to reach 100 strikeouts in the 2025 season while pitching for Double-A Binghamton.

Tong is also ranked No. 94 on MLBPipeline.com’s Top 100 prospects list.

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies defeated the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, 5-0 on Saturday, June 21 at FNB Field in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Tong, 22, from Markham, Ontario, Canada, dominated over 7.2 innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out 11 batters. He threw 97 pitches, 70 for strikes.

Rising Through the Ranks: Tong’s Development and Dominance in the Mets System

This season, Tong has posted a 6-3 record with a 1.75 ERA across 13 starts, totaling 67 innings pitched. He’s allowed 31 hits, 13 earned runs, two home runs, 30 walks, and has struck out 107 batters with a 0.910 WHIP.

Tong was selected by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft and signed for $226,000 after attending Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro, Georgia.

According to Baseball Reference, Tong’s senior year at Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also sidelined his opportunity to compete for the Canadian junior national team. Without a college commitment at graduation in 2021 and limited options due to lockdowns, he trained by throwing to his father to increase his velocity. His fastball jumped from the low 80s to around 90 mph, earning him an offer from North Dakota State. Before attending, he spent time at Georgia Premier and joined the newly formed MLB Draft League, catching scouts’ attention despite middling stats. He ultimately signed with the Mets instead of heading to college.

In 2024, Tong pitched at three levels—Low-A Port St. Lucie, High-A Brooklyn, and Double-A Binghamton—finishing with a 6-4 record and a 3.03 ERA in 25 appearances (23 starts). He threw 113 innings, gave up 85 hits, 38 earned runs, three home runs, 47 walks, and struck out 160 with a 1.168 WHIP.

In his minor league career to date, Tong owns a 12-9 record with a 2.91 ERA over 48 games (44 starts), with 201 innings pitched, 133 hits allowed, 65 earned runs, eight home runs, 99 walks, 305 strikeouts, and a 1.154 WHIP.

Scouting Grades, Pitch Arsenal, and Mets Prospect Competition

MLBPipeline.com scouting grades rate Tong’s fastball at 65, curveball at 55, slider at 45, changeup at 50, control at 45, and overall at 55.

According to Baseball Savant, “His fastball only shows average velocity in the 91–94 mph range, but it plays well above that with elite induced vertical break (averaging above 20 inches in front of Statcast cameras in the Florida State League). He plays off that high pitch with a 74–76 mph curveball that he can drop in (with above 65 inches of vertical drop) for early strikes or tunnel off the heater for a K. He leaned on his 82–84 mph cut slider early in 2024 as he was looking to hone the pitch, but a 84–86 mph changeup (thrown with a Vulcan grip) was better at generating whiffs as a rare armside offering for him.”

Tong is one of several top Mets pitching prospects in 2025. Triple-A right-handers Brandon Sproat (No. 2) and Nolan McLean (No. 5) are also drawing attention in the organization.

Other Mets pitchers ranked in MLBPipeline’s Top 30 include Jonathan Santucci (No. 11, High-A Brooklyn), Blade Tidwell (No. 14, Triple-A Syracuse), Nate Dohm (No. 18, High-A Brooklyn), Jonathan Pintaro (No. 22, Double-A Binghamton), Dom Hamel (No. 24, Triple-A Syracuse), Jack Wenniger (No. 27, Double-A Binghamton), Anthony Nunez (No. 28, Double-A Binghamton), and Will Watson (No. 29, High-A Brooklyn).

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Matt Tallarini - World Baseball Network
Matthew (Matt) Tallarini is the Founder and Chief Correspondent for the World Baseball Network.