2025 Top Mets Pitching Prospects
By David Mills, Talkin Mets Special Contributor
Last week, we introduced our subscribers to the Talkin’ Mets Early-Season Positional Player Prospect Rankings, and this week, we introduce our Early Season Pitching Prospects.
We do have rules. And rules are meant to be followed. We recognize prospects through their age-26 season. At the 27th birthday, it’s sayonara. So, don’t expect to see Jonathan Pintaro, even though he may appear on the CitiField bump this season. Starting pitchers may be prospects through 12 MLB starts or 70 innings; Relievers: 20 MLB appearances. It’s also important to remember that these rankings are not based on who makes it to The Show first or earlier than the others.
So, here we go.
PITCHERS
1. Jonah Tong — When the 6’1” Canadian came to Developmental and Low-A ball in 2023, he was certainly under-the-radar and uninspiring. But something clicked in 2024 as he moved seamlessly from St. Lucie to Brooklyn to Binghamton, throwing six perfect innings in his first Double-A start. At the end of the campaign, Tong had posted a 3.03 ERA in 113 frames while yielding only 85 hits and fanning 160. This season, he already has 38 K in five starts. His four-pitch repertoire is rounding into “shape,” which may be the magic word for Tong. In 2024, his over-the-top fastball was in the 92-95 range. In 2025, it is 93-96, topping out at 98 mph. But his secret sauce is the 20+ inches of vertical break (aka “carry”) from the apex of his delivery. The 21-year-old righty can effectively command the top-of-the-zone and prevent the long ball with a chase rate over 30% and strikeouts to match. This is borne out by only 7 HR in 155.1 MiLB innings. This season, only one blast in 21. His 12-6 curveball, thrown in the mid- to high-70s, also plays. The Tong Vulcan-grip changeup (slightly above average) and slider (below average) are still works in progress in the command department, but all he will need is one. He has also been toying with a cutter. Comparisons to Tim Lincecum have been made, but Tong appears more under control with a more refined delivery. He does need to cut his walk rate down. Some elite stuff, brainy approach, and solid work ethic should provide the Mets with a middle-of-the-rotation (or better) starter. ETA: 2027
2. Nolan McLean — Another quickly rising member of the Mets arms race, just promoted to Triple-A, the Oklahoma State 2023 draftee decided to focus on pitching last June (with some impetus from the Mets). The 6’2”/214 lb. righthander finished 2024 with a 3.78 ERA and 116 K in 25 starts and 110 innings. As a 23-year-old at Double-A this season, McLean sports a spectacular 1.37 ERA in five starts with 30 K in 27 innings. His velo is a steady 94-96, topping at 97-98, which has been consistent for the past several years. A nasty 84-87 mph sweeper from his three-quarters delivery, with a 3,000+ rpm spin rate and horizontal movement pushing 20 inches, may be the best sweeper in the entire system. Considering all the movement, McLean achieves an awesome 67% strike rate on the pitch. He blends the 70-grade sweeper (effective against lefties) and plus fastball, with an upper-80s cutter (well above average with a 64% ground ball rate). He adds a curveball (slightly above average with almost 20 inches of horizontal break & 12 inches of vertical break at 3,300 rpm) and a changeup (below average). When drafted, many thought McLean was destined for the bullpen, but not so fast—with his arsenal and the associated analytics, as well as his competitive nature, the Mets have another high-quality arm in waiting. ETA: 2026
3. Christian Scott — Even though he exceeded rookie limits in 2024, we still consider the 25-year-old a prospect, and a good one, despite TJ surgery late in September 2024. After two so-so MiLB campaigns in 2021 and 2022, the 6’4”/207 lb. righthander had a breakthrough year in 2023, tossing 88 frames with a 2.57 ERA and 107 K and only 12 BB in 19 starts, while moving from St. Lucie to Brooklyn to Binghamton. In 2024, he had nine starts for Syracuse (42 innings with a 2.76 ERA and 55 K/only 12 BB) and nine for the Mets (47 innings with a 4.56 ERA and 39 K/12 BB) before succumbing to elbow issues. Scott’s three-quarters slot delivers a mid-90s four-seamer geared to the strike zone. In fact, his called-strike-whiff (CSW) ranked him third highest among Triple-A hurlers. The turning point may have come when he added a low-80s sweeper to his mid-80s slider. The sweeper got misses across the board at a 32.4% whiff rate. His mid- to high-80s changeup geared to righty and lefty bats gets about 15 inches of arm-side run and mirrors the sweeper to the opposite side. The bugaboo for Scott has always been giving up the long ball, but not necessarily command issues that lead to walks. Why the bombs? To be frank, too much plate and not enough paint at the top of the zone. If he recovers successfully, the Mets will also have Scott posturing for a rotation slot very soon. ETA: 2026
4. Brandon Sproat — Generally the #1 or #2 overall consensus prospect in the system, and the Mets 2024 Organizational Pitcher of the Year, Sproat is undoubtedly worthy of serious attention. However, he dropped down on our list due more to the elevation of Tong and McLean than the loss of interest on our part. That said, the 24-year-old Sproat is older than the other two and has struggled in spring training and is now at Triple-A after a stellar 2024 campaign. The 6’3”/215 lb. talented right-hander, like Tong and McLean, struggles with command, which is not unusual among prospects during their first three MiLB campaigns. However, in Sproat’s case, we find it more challenging to project where the future will take him due to his more electric arm, which produced 134 strikeouts in 116 innings and a 3.40 ERA in 2024. The five-pitch mix plays, with three plus pitches: Four-seamer that touches 100 mph (better described as a vanilla “dead zone” fastball shape), mid-90s sinker (two-seamer) and quality power changeup something akin to Paul Skenes’ “splinker” (lots of horizontal break), but nowhere near as good. He also spins an average gyro slider and sweeper. Can he be a #2 starter? Possibly. Can he be a backend starter? Possibly. ETA: 2026
5. Felipe De La Cruz — Here’s a southpaw, in an organization devoid of lefty arms, that could be the breakthrough sleeper prospect of the season. At 6’/160 lb. the athletic De La Cruz is certainly not the physical specimen akin to others featured here, but in five MiLB seasons he has some fascinating numbers: 3.95 ERA, 1.322 WHIP in 315 IP with 375 K, 126 BB, while yielding only 19 HR—so, stand and take notice. This season, which began at Binghamton and now Syracuse (where he pitched six perfect innings in his first start), he is lights out: 1.37 ERA, 0.763 WHIP in 20 IP with 29 K’s, 3 BB while yielding only 2 HR. The 24-year-old De La Cruz presents from a high three-quarters slot arm in slingshot fashion. His sinking two-seamer in the mid-90s is a plus pitch with good spin rates that yields a plethora of swings and misses. He complements the sinker with a two-plane slider in the mid-80s and a high-80s hard changeup to weak contact. Considering the lack of lefties in the organization, especially in the bullpen, De La Cruz could soon be headed in that direction. ETA: 2026
6. Jack Wenninger — We are always drawn to a young hurler with a splitter, since it is rare in the college ranks. This 6’4”/210 lb. is one of those rare few. Drafted out of the University of Illinois after the 2023 season, Wenninger went to St. Lucie for some seasoning in late 2023 and early 2024, where he threw 46 innings. In 2024, after 15 appearances/10 starts, the Mets pitching gurus took a shot at moving Wenninger to Brooklyn, a right-handed pitcher’s park if there ever was one. The move proved ingenious as he appeared in 11 games (10 starts) and hurled 43 innings to a 3.12 ERA, 1.315 WHIP with 51 K and only 1 HR. This season, he is making waves at Binghamton with five starts/25 innings and a 2.92 ERA, 1.014 WHIP. His high three-quarters release delivers a four-seamer in the 91-94 range, topping at 96 mph. But his heater best sets up the 82-84 mph splitter, which exhibits both horizontal and vertical drop. At Brooklyn, he also worked on a sweeper, cutter, and curveball to complement the two main offerings. And it all seems to be working. By and by, during his 2024 campaign at the two levels, Wenninger struck out 140 batters (second most in the system behind Tong). His stuff plays to either starting or relieving, which is a boon to the Mets and makes for an exciting prospect to watch. ETA: 2027
7. Blade Tidwell — An emergency start this past Sunday in St. Louis was a good learning experience for the 23-year-old right-hander, whose first name has to be one of the coolest in the game. Some more seasoning is in order, but the 6’3”/210 lb. Tidwell showed some skills, gumption, and velocity worthy of The Show. However, the good 94-96 mph fastball, which tops out at 97-98, is a flat offering that doesn’t do much. The same cannot be said of the low-80s sweeper, with a sharp late break, that devastates right-handed bats. The well-placed Tidwell cutter, which approaches 90 mph, is a nice offering to lefties and should be used more sparingly vs. righties. His changeup and curveball need a lot of help. The changeup may be the key pitch if Blade is to cut through his ceiling. But command is the real issue. He has walked 144 MiLB hitters in 275 innings, yielding 129 ER and 34 bombs. Despite always being a starter, we see him as a bullpen piece. ETA: 2027
8. Joander Suarez — We’ve liked this 6’3”/250 lb., 25-year-old athlete for some time. This is now his 7th MiLB season. Like last season, the big right-hander has just been demoted to the Rumble Ponies after one unfortunate start at Syracuse. We’re not sure why Joander gets only one or two shots, but this may have had more to do with roster manipulation. He features a good mid-90s fastball with carry due to elevated spin rate, a better-than-decent 78-80 mph curveball, and an average changeup in the mid- to high-80s. What makes us take notice? During major parts of the 2023-2025 seasons at Binghamton, he pitched to a 3.09 ERA/0.985 WHIP in 151 frames with 151 K, only 33 BB, and 12 HR. ETA: 2027
9. Nate Dohm — We complete our pitching top-10 with two 22-year-old 2024 draft choices now competing at different levels. The 6’4”/210 lb. Dohm is out of Mississippi State, where his sensational junior year was interrupted by injury. The issue was forearm strain, which had been problematic in his two previous seasons, so arm health is a genuine concern. In late 2024, he made eight appearances (six starts) and 29 innings, with a 1.23 ERA, 0.920 WHIP, and no long balls. Our guess is that the righthander is destined for the bullpen, as he delivers an above-average mid-90s fastball with ample carry that can top out at 99 in short appearances. His mid-80s gyro slider is often effective and should be utilized more. He also has an okay 12-6 curveball for vertical attacks. The changeup does not play at this point. After six 2025 starts at St. Lucie, Dohm is sporting a 2.22 ERA, 1.151 WHIP in 21 frames with 30 K and no bombs. For now, he’s on the right track and level. ETA: 2028
10. Jonathan Santucci — Fresh out of three injury-riddled seasons for the Duke Blue Devils, this 22-year-old former two-way player was somehow placed on the Mets High-A roster at Brooklyn, where he is struggling. The only slightly positive stat is that his K/BB ratio is a barely acceptable 2.43. The 6’2”/205 lb. southpaw has size and tools, but the bottom line is that he needs more than seasoning. He needs instruction and mentorship. Scouts like the above-average carry on his mid-90s four-seamer. They may even be more enamored with his mid-80s two-plane (vertical) break slider, which is effective when thrown to lefties and righties. The hard changeup also has promise, as it fades away from right-handed bats. Like most young hurlers, command must be addressed, but his repeatable delivery should be an advantage. So, why is Santucci at Brooklyn so soon? For the same reason, he appears so high on all the prospect rankings—the Mets are woefully short on left-handed pitching throughout the system. Big question: Is Santucci ultimately bullpen fodder? ETA: 2028
Only one HONORABLE MENTION rounds out our pitching prospects: After hurling only seven frames over two seasons, the 23-year-old over-the-top righthander Raimon Gomez seems fully recovered from TJ surgery, and the fastball/slider specialist is back to his 101-104 mph heater at Low-A. He is genuinely in rarefied air at that velocity. Since 2021, Gomez sports a 3.40 ERA and 1.370 WHIP over 40 appearances/77 innings with 94 K and only 3 long balls. If he can pinpoint his command, he projects as a closer. ETA: 2027
Additionally, but not technically a prospect under our rules, we’re excited about Jonathan Pintaro, the 27-year-old righty from Indy Ball, who is excelling at Double-A with the CitiField bullpen in plain sight. In 22 MiLB games at Brooklyn and Binghamton since mid-2024 (with a four-inning save thrown in at Syracuse), Pintaro has a 2.78 ERA, 1.117 WHIP in 94 innings with 103 K, 35 BB, and only 5 HR. This season, he’s produced a 3.15 ERA, 0.950 WHIP in 20 innings with 28 K, only 7 BB, and 2 HR. ETA: 2026
ON-POINT
Ranking pitching prospects is truly the great unknown. Injuries and command are the real issues that are virtually impossible to measure. We examine the overall subject and decide if the physical specimen also has the basic tools to be an effective major league hurler. These tools are both physical and mental, so both are integral to the process. And since we are not privy to the mental side and cannot access anything other than highlight videos and publicly disseminated stats, it is challenging. Nonetheless, we dig as deep as possible and put decades of baseball insights into the mix.
Three or four of these prospects will likely make it to The Show for a sustained career, with perhaps a couple playing for the Mets. But remember, all have value as potential players or useful trade pieces. With David Stearns’ rosters filled only with short-term starters, we could see some of these arms via the ETA we have spelled out. Senga, Manaea, Peterson, Megill, Holmes, and Montas are only under contract for two more seasons following 2024. So, our Top-10 prospects are all in the timely mix for future rotations and bullpens.