Why Jonah Tong's New Cutter Matters More Than His Spring ERA

Barring any injuries to the rotation, New York Mets top prospect starting pitcher Jonah Tong will probably begin the 2026 season with Triple-A Syracuse.

That being said, Tong is sure to make an impact at the big-league level at some point during the campaign after making his MLB debut down the stretch of 2025.

On Wednesday, Tong made his first start of Grapefruit League play and gave up three runs on three hits across 2.2 innings to the St. Louis Cardinals. The big blow was a three-run home run that Tong surrendered to Nolan Gorman in the top of the third inning.

Tong's homer allowed came on a 91 mph cutter, a new pitch the 22-year-old has added to his arsenal this spring. However, according to Tong, his cutter getting hit around is all a part of the process as he learns the pitch in camp.

"Another off-speed offering......Sometimes it's going to get hit. But that's the whole part of learning it," Tong told SNY. "I'm happy it's happening in spring because at least I can take notes from it and push it forward."

Jonah Tong tells @mmargaux8 about working on his cutter in spring training

"Another off-speed offering. Sometimes it's going to get hit. But that's the whole part of learning it. I'm happy it's happening in spring because at least I can take notes from it and push it forward" pic.twitter.com/Tx3zlrqw4f
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 25, 2026

In addition to the added cutter, the right-hander also throws a four-seamer, changeup, curveball and slider in his repertoire.

Tong was the Mets' No. 3 ranked prospect in their farm system by the end of the 2025 season. He could very well likely be their No. 1 overall prospect in 2026 if Nolan McLean and Carson Benge begin the year in the majors.

Tong made his major league debut on August 29 of last season against the NL East rival Miami Marlins. While the righty struggled with a 7.71 ERA in five starts as a rookie, the promise was still there in Tong's outings last year.

The Mets' current starting rotation projects as: Freddy Peralta, McLean, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea. And that's if New York decides to roll with a six-man rotation, which remains to be seen. Tong, Christian Scott and Tobias Myers will serve as key depth pieces that can start.

Tong, like Peralta once was, is known for his big four-seamer in the early stages of his professional career. For that, he is working on developing his off-speed pitches and a new cutter this spring.

This is why the cutter matters more than Tong's spring ERA this year.

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