Minors Weekly Report: Jonah Tong Dominates Triple-A Debut

Jonah Tong had a brilliant start in his Triple-A debut this past week. The 22-year-old pitcher tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts, a typical outing for Tong who just cruises every time he’s on the mound. Between Binghamton and Syracuse, he now has a 1.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 21 starts and 107 2/3 innings.

Tong’s performance was the highlight of a slew of performances from Mets prospects who were recently promoted across the organization. Let’s look at how the rest of the team did.

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets stumbled a bit in their latest series, dropping four of six games against the Rochester Red Wings. Syracuse was outscored 37-17 in the six-game set, dropping to 31-14 in the second half and 62-58 overall.

Jett Williams had a strong week in his first series at Triple-A since being promoted. Williams went 8-for-23 with a double, a triple, a home run, two walks, and four runs scored. The speedy top prospect has a 1.009 OPS through his first week in Syracuse. Carson Benge (.650 OPS) and Ryan Clifford (.533 OPS) did not see the same immediate success that Williams did.

Williams was really the only standout bat in the series against Rochester, with the next two highest OPS marks coming from Yonny Hernández (.729) and Jared Young (.713). Both players recorded just two hits in the series, but for Young, the two hits were home runs.

Jonah Tong had the best start for a Syracuse Met in the series against Rochester, but a couple of pitchers also had notable outings. Kevin Herget, who started a game and came in relief for another, threw a total of 3 1/3 perfect innings with seven strikeouts in the series. Herget owns a 1.80 ERA in 19 appearances with Syracuse.

Brandon Waddell also had a solid start, allowing two runs over five innings with five strikeouts. Waddell now has a 4.27 ERA with in Triple-A this year.

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies won four of six games against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats this past week. They are now 30-15 in the second half and 75-37 overall.

Jacob Reimer had an excellent week at the plate, recording a team-high 10 hits and two home runs in 22 at-bats. Reimer recorded five RBIs, two walks, a stolen base, and six runs. Reimer hasn’t had the same offensive success he had to start the year in Brooklyn, but he’s up to a .766 OPS in 41 games now for the Rumble Ponies.

William Lugo also had a fantastic week, matching Reimer with two home runs and five RBIs. Lugo also recorded two doubles, two walks, and a stolen base while scoring three runs. Lugo still does not have pretty numbers on the year, seeing his OPS raise to .609.

D’Andre Smith led the team with four stolen bases and went 5-for-18 with a triple and a home run. His seven RBIs also led the team in the series. Smith has been solid all year for Binghamton, now owning a .745 OPS.

Tylor Megill looked unhittable in two rehab starts with Binghamton, tossing a total of five shutout innings with 13 strikeouts. He allowed just four hits and a walk as he looks to make his way back to the big league team.

Jonathan Santucci arguably had his best start of the season, allowing one unearned run over 5 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts. He allowed just three hits and a walk, and now has a 2.73 ERA through six Double-A starts.

Jack Wenninger was also dominant to no surprise, striking out eight over six innings of one-run ball. Wenninger now has a 2.72 ERA in 22 starts for Binghamton this year.

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones won their series against the Hub City Spartanburgers, taking four of the six games. The Cyclones improved to 20-28 in the second half and 66-48 overall.

Colin Houck had his best week in High-A since being promoted, going 7-for-17 with two doubles, three walks, and a stolen base. Houck had not looked comfortable in High-A to this point, still owning just a .550 OPS in 40 games.

Marco Vargas also had a breakout week despite deep struggles at the High-A level prior to this series. The former Marlins prospect led the team with eight hits in 24 at-bats and recorded a double, a home run, two walks, and a stolen base. He had three RBIs and six runs scored as he raised his OPS with Brooklyn to .635.

Trace Willhoite, one of the stars of the St. Lucie Mets this year, had an excellent first week as a Cyclone. Willhoite went 5-for-16 with two doubles, a home run, and a team-leading five RBIs. He also stole a base, and has a .941 OPS in his first five games with the team.

Will Watson delivered two incredible starts for the Cyclones, pitching a total of eight scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts. Watson has had a great season and now owns a 1.87 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) with Brooklyn.

Out of the bullpen, Hunter Hodges made two great relief appearances. Hodges threw a total of 5 1/3 innings with no runs allowed and seven strikeouts. He now has a 2.84 ERA in his first three games as a Cyclone, and a 2.44 ERA overall.

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets struggled as they dropped four of six games against the Jupiter Hammerheads. The series loss puts the Mets at 33-15 in the second half and 67-46 overall.

It was a very rough week at the plate for the team, but Yonatan Henriquez stood out by going 5-for-15 with a double, a home run, two walks, and a stolen base. Henriquez also drove in three runs and scored three runs. He’s now raised his season OPS to .732 with an OPS of .919 over his last 34 games.

Antonio Jimenez, the Mets’ third-round pick from this summer’s draft, had a solid week by going 5-for-16. He didn’t add an extra-base hit, but he recorded four walks and two stolen bases. Jimenez has a .611 OPS 12 games into his professional career.

Daviel Hurtado shined in two appearances this past week, including one start. In total, Hurtado tossed 8 2/3 innings allowing one run with 12 strikeouts. Hurtado has looked great in St. Lucie and has a 2.34 ERA in 10 games (six starts).

Colton Cosper made one five-inning outing out of the bullpen, and he allowed no runs on three hits and two strikeouts. For Cosper, an undrafted free agent, it was his first professional outing.

Omar Victorino also had a lengthy outing of the bullpen, tossing four innings with no runs allowed. He now has a 4.50 ERA in three games with St. Lucie.

DSL Mets

The DSL Mets Orange went 3-2 over the last week, putting them at 30-25 on the season. Meanwhile, the DSL Mets Blue went 2-3 and are 19-36 as they continue to struggle.

Elian Peña was once again the best player on the field for the Orange team, recording a three-homer game on Monday for a total 1.344 OPS over the five games played. He now has a .963 OPS on the year despite a terrible 0-for stretch to begin his professional career. On the mound, Jean Brito looked solid with one run allowed and four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. He owns a 2.84 ERA over 13 games (seven starts) with the two DSL Mets teams.

Leandy Mella had the best week of any Blue team hitter, going 9-for-15 with two doubles, two triples, and a home run. He also had a team-high six RBIs as he raised his season OPS to .802. Yobanny Sanchez was great on the mound, tossing four hitless innings with four strikeouts. He owns a 6.12 ERA between the two DSL Mets teams.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Carson Benge (BRK/BNG/SYR) – .306

OPS – Carson Benge (BRK/BNG/SYR) – .917

HR – Ryan Clifford (BNG/SYR) – 24

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK/BNG) – 61

Pitching

ERA – Jonah Tong (BNG/SYR) – 1.50

SO – Jonah Tong (BNG/SYR) – 171

WHIP – Zach Thornton (BRK/BNG) – 0.812

Players of the Week

Offense – Elian Peña, SS DSL Mets Orange

Elian Peña is living up to his billing as one of the most highly touted international signings in Mets history. His pro career has been brief so far, but he’s been nothing of sensational after his rocky start to the year. All eyes will be on him in the years to come as he makes his journey through the Mets’ system.

Pitching – Will Watson, P Brooklyn

Will Watson has been incredible all year, owning a 2.60 ERA between St. Lucie and Brooklyn. The 2024 seventh rounder has been nothing short of dominant since his promotion to Brooklyn, and had his best week yet with two brilliant starts.

Upcoming Schedule – August 19-24

• Triple-A Syracuse: vs. Indianapolis
• Double-A Binghamton: @ Portland
• High-A Brooklyn: @ Aberdeen
• Low-A St. Lucie: @ Palm Beach

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