2026 New York Mets Top Prospects Ranking

Perhaps you have heard or read about Tong being compared to Tim Lincecum here or there. While it’s an obvious exaggeration and he is a long shot to have such an impactful career, Tong does bear some resemblance to the former Giants ace in pitching style.

Tong boasts an explosive delivery with an incredibly high arm angle, but also excellent extension. As a result, his fastball, arguably his best pitch, has that highly sought-after ride effect, with about 20 inches of induced vertical break (IVB). He complements it with a very solid changeup that he throws with a Vulcan grip, a curveball, and a slider he rarely uses.

Last year, Tong was a beast in the minors, posting a 1.43 ERA with 179 strikeouts in just 113 ⅔ innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He was then promoted to the majors, perhaps rushed because of the team's circumstances, and posted a 7.71 ERA in 18 ⅔ innings, but with a much more competent 4.31 FIP.

Tong is not exactly off to a hot start in Syracuse this year, with a 5.66 ERA in 20 ⅔ innings, but remains very much in the organization’s plans, as they refused to include him in the Freddy Peralta trade. If the curveball or slider can take a step forward to join the heater and the changeup in that plus (or even plus-plus) tier, he could be something special.

Wenninger has spent four seasons in the Mets' minor-league system since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB draft out of the University of Illinois. He was part of a Mets draft class including notable arms Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat. He stands 6’4” with a high arm angle, making him an intimidating presence on the mound.

He’s moved through the minors as a starting pitcher with 47 of his 54 outings coming as a starter. Wenninger features a four-pitch mix headlined by his nasty splitter, as well with a four-seamer, curveball, and slider. His fastball has sat around 95 mph, but has touched 98. His deadly splitter is part of what has fueled his 10.3 SO/9 ratio in the minors.

After being drafted in 2023, he made his affiliated debut later in the year but only pitched 2.1 innings across two games coming at rookie ball and Single-A. Wenninger split the 2024 season between Single-A and High-A. His ERA was high at Single-A at 5.90, but improved to 4.57 with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones. Between both levels, he struck out an impressive 11 batters per nine. He also did a great job of not allowing home runs, only allowing 11 across 150 innings.

Last year, we saw him spend the whole season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Mets' Double-A affiliate. He had a really good year spanning 26 starts, pitching to an impressive 2.92 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP. His theme of tons of strikeouts and limiting long balls continued, which was really good to see at a higher level of play. In 2024, Wenninger’s FIP outpaced his ERA, but last year in Double-A, his 3.36 FIP was the higher of the two.

Now 24 years old and starting this season in Triple-A, he is on track to debut at some point this year or next year in the majors. He is projected to be a middle-to-back end starter at the big-league level. Even though he’ll likely be major-league ready at some point this year, it might be hard for him to find his way on the roster considering that Jonah Tong and Christian Scott are also sitting in Triple-A.

Wenninger will also be Rule 5 eligible this winter, making him a near-lock to be added to the 40-man in the offseason if he has to wait until 2027 for his debut.