Minors Weekly Report: It’s All Jonah Tong

A perfect game was thrown for the first time in Mets minor league history. There were some caveats, as it was a seven-inning game, and it was technically a combined perfect game. However, Jonah Tong pitched for 6 2/3 of the seven innings, only being removed because he was at 99 pitches. TJ Shook recorded the final out to clinch the first-ever Mets minor league perfect game for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in an dominant effort.

Let’s get into the rest of the week.

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets split their six-game series against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp last week. Despite the split, the Mets outscored Jacksonville 25-19 in the six games and held the Jumbo Shrimp to five or fewer runs in each game. Syracuse is 18-21 on the year.

Luis De Los Santos had a rollicking series against Jacksonville, going 9-for-20 with two homers and two doubles. De Los Santos also recorded five RBIs, which tied for the team lead in the series. He had been struggling prior to this breakout, as he still owns just a .651 OPS for the year.

Jared Young only went 3-for-14 in the series, but two of his hits went for home runs. Young now has three on the season and owns a .942 OPS through 14 games.

Not to be overshadowed by Jonah Tong and his combined perfect game in Binghamton, Nolan McLean had a brilliant Triple-A debut. McLean tossed seven shutout innings, allowing seven hits, no walks, and striking out seven. McLean’s prospect status continues to surge, as he owns a 1.08 ERA between six starts for Binghamton and Syracuse.

Paul Blackburn also made a couple of notable starts as he inches closer to joining the big league team. Blackburn allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings across the two starts, not particularly great numbers, but he did strikeout seven and is expected to be a long man in the bullpen upon his return.

Brandon Sproat continues to look more and more comfortable, as he allowed just one run in five innings in his last start. Sproat still owns a 4.82 ERA through seven starts, but just two rough outings are responsible for his inflated ERA.

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies played just five games against the Reading Fightin’ Phils, taking the series by winning three of them. Binghamton is now 18-13.

The biggest win in the series came in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, when the Rumble Ponies tossed a perfect game. It can’t be overstated just how dominant Jonah Tong was, as he fanned 13 of the 20 batters he faced and didn’t allow a single baserunner. The Mets struck out two-thirds of the batters they faced in that final game of the series. Tong now has a 2.57 ERA through six starts and an absurd 51 strikeouts in 28 innings.

• Ryan Clifford has finally found a groove after a slow start to the year. Clifford launched three home runs against Reading, going 9-for-19 in the series. His OPS on the year climbed up to .820 after his successful series.
• Joander Suarez added a solid start for Binghamton, allowing just two runs in 5 1/3 innings while striking out seven. Suarez has a 4.03 ERA in five games this year, but a 0.93 ERA in four games with the Rumble Ponies.
• Luis Moreno and Alex Carrillo looked great out of the bullpen, with Moreno tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings, while Carrillo allowed one run in 3 1/3 innings and struck out six. Moreno (5.91 ERA) and Carrillo (6.75) have both had a rough go of it, but they’ll be looking to build off of these latest solid outings.

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones split their series with the Asheville Tourists, and it was a very even series, with Brooklyn outscoring Asheville by just one run (35-34). The Cyclones are still off to a great start to the year, sitting at 20-12.

Carson Benge and Eli Serrano had fantastic weeks, each knocking two home runs and going 8-for-23. Benge scored six runs, drove in seven, walked five times, and stole three bases, while Serrano scored five runs, drove in four, and walked twice. Benge (.860 OPS) and Serrano (.883 OPS) have both been extremely impressive and look like stars from the 2024 draft class.

A.J. Ewing and Jacob Reimer also looked great, with Ewing also going 8-for-23 and Reimer going 6-for-16. Each hit a home run, with Ewing stealing five bases, while Reimer drove in five runs and walked four times. In ten games with Brooklyn, Ewing has an .850 OPS (1.018 OPS overall) while Reimer has been crushing Brooklyn all year (1.063 OPS).

Noah Hall made the best start of the week for the Cyclones, allowing just a run in 5 2/3 innings of work. Hall has looked excellent this year and owns a 1.83 ERA in seven starts.

Out of the bullpen, both Eduardo Herrera and Chandler Marsh tossed three scoreless innings with six strikeouts apiece. Herrera has yet to allow a run in nine outings (11 1/3 innings) this year, while Marsh has a 2.81 ERA overall but an 8.44 ERA in four games with Brooklyn.

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets got off to a hot start in their series against the Clearwater Threshers, winning the first two games of the series, but they couldn’t sustain it and dropped four straight to lose the series. Still, the Mets are 17-16 in the early going.

2024 11th-round pick Nick Roselli had a great series, going 5-for-22 with a double and two home runs. Roselli, however, has struggled mightily this year and owns a .549 OPS between St. Lucie and Brooklyn.

Trace Willhoite also stood out despite playing in just three games. Willhoite went 4-for-10 with two home runs, three walks, and a stolen base. The undrafted free agent now owns an .873 OPS in 22 games with St. Lucie.

2023 first-rounder Colin Houck had another good week as he looks to build momentum. Houck went 5-for-17 with two doubles and a triple, walking five times and stealing two bases. After a slow start to the year, he owns a .735 OPS.

As for the pitching:

• Channing Austin, an undrafted free agent who signed last summer, had the best week of any St. Lucie pitcher. In two relief appearances, Austin allowed just one run in nine innings. Austin has struggled otherwise, owning a 4.94 ERA on the year.
• Edgar Moreta also looked great out of the bullpen, striking out six and allowing one run in six innings of work. Moreta owns a 3.04 ERA in six games.
• Raimon Gomez continues to look unhittable, as he struck out six in 3 1/3 hitless innings out of the bullpen. Gomez did walk three, but he lowered his season ERA to 0.69 through six games.

FCL Mets

The FCL Mets went 1-3 in four games this past week, dropping their record to 1-4 on the year. It’s been a brutal start, as the Mets have scored just 16 runs and have allowed 40, averaging 10 runs allowed per game.

Jeffry Rosa went just 2-for-9 in three games played, but his two hits were both home runs. He has a .923 OPS through 13 at-bats this year.

Edward Lantigua had a solid week, going 3-for-8 with two walks and three stolen bases. Lantigua is coming off a year in which he had a .792 OPS in the Dominican Summer League.

Luis Alvarez (3 1/3 scoreless innings, six strikeouts) and Daviel Hurtado (three scoreless innings, six strikeouts) were the standout pitchers for the FCL squad this past week. Alvarez and Hurtado have pitched sparingly in their professional careers but are off to solid starts in 2025.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK) – .361

OPS – Jacob Reimer (BRK) – 1.063

HR – Jon Singleton (SYR) – 7

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK) – 21

Pitching

ERA – Anthony Nunez (BRK) – 0.63

SO – Jonah Tong (BNG) – 51

WHIP – Anthony Nunez (BRK) – 0.56

Players of the Week

Offense – Ryan Clifford, 1B/RF/LF Binghamton

It’s great to see Clifford showing significant signs of life at the plate after a dreadful start to the year. Clifford is still striking out at a high rate, but he is starting to demonstrate the power that makes him so valuable. His slugging percentage (.475) is starting to close in on .500 and his OPS is sitting at .820.

Pitching – Jonah Tong, P Binghamton

How does Nolan McLean, who tossed seven shutout innings in his Triple-A debut, not win pitcher of the week? If anything, that should tell you just how good Tong was. Tong is a strikeout artist, and he continues to put people away at unbelievable rates. In his last start, he did so without even allowing a baserunner. Both Tong and McLean have arguably surpassed Sproat in the Mets’ minor league pitcher rankings as they have had brilliant starts to the 2025 season.

Upcoming Schedule – May 13-18

• Triple-A Syracuse: vs. Lehigh Valley
• Double-A Binghamton: vs. Reading
• High-A Brooklyn: vs. Winston-Salem
• Low-A St. Lucie: @ Daytona

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