The New York Mets have made changes to the starting rotation during the month of August. Nolan McLean was called up from Triple-A Syracuse Mets a couple of weeks ago and made his MLB debut on August 16 against the Seattle Mariners.
Since his call-up, McLean has a 3-0 record and a 0.89 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched. With that being said, there is more help on the way for New York’s rotation. Jonah Tong was called up from Triple-A Syracuse after just making two starts in the Triple-A level after spending most of the minor league baseball season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in Double-A.
New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean has three-word statement about Jonah Tong’s upcoming MLB debut
McLean spoke to the media after an impressive eight-inning performance in a 6-0 win for the Mets over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. He was asked about the upcoming MLB debut for Tong on Friday night against the Miami Marlins. McLean had high praise for the kid and said,
“That kid’s special.”
Well, if McLean is saying he is special after what he does during the first three games of his MLB career, the Mets fans have a lot to be excited about with this rotation for the rest of the season. Tong is the Mets’ number four overall prospect in their farm system according to MLB.com.
He only needed two games in Syracuse for Tong to receive his promotion. In 11.2 innings pitched with Syracuse, he gave up eight hits and zero runs. Tong also walked three batters and struck out 17 batters, along with a .094 WHIP and a 2-0 record.
When Tong was with Binghamton, he pitched in 20 games and had an 8-5 record with a 1.59 ERA. In 102.0 innings pitched, Tong has given up 50 hits and 20 runs. He walked 44 batters and struck out 162 batters in Double-A, along with having a WHIP of 0.92. If Tong is just as good as McLean out of the gates, the Mets’ pitching rotation will be a major problem to deal with for years to come.
