Jonah Tong debuts new cutter in first New York Mets spring start

Jonah Tong took the mound for the New York Mets at Clover Park on Wednesday for his first spring training start. He pitched against the St. Louis Cardinals, as the 22-year-old right-hander gave fans an early look at his expanded pitch mix. He added a new cutter to his arsenal over the offseason. But the final numbers were mixed, as he went 2.2 innings and gave up 3 earned runs on 3 hits. He walked 1 batter and struck out 2. He finished the day with a 10.13 ERA. But spring training stats do not tell the whole story. The real focus is on how his pitches looked and how he is adjusting to big-league hitters.

Breaking Down Jonah Tong’s Outing

Tong started the game looking very sharp. He breezed through the first inning with a clean one-two-three frame. JJ Wetherholt flew out to left field to start the game. Jose Fermin then grounded out to first base. Finally, Nolan Gorman grounded out to end the inning. Tong looked comfortable and in control right out of the gate. He relied heavily on his four-seam fastball to get ahead in counts.

The second inning tested him a bit more. He struck out Nelson Velazquez swinging to get the first out. Leonardo Bernal followed that up with a line-drive single to center field. Tong then hit Nathan Church with a pitch. This put runners on first and second with only one out. He bounced back nicely to strike out Joshua Baez looking. A groundball forceout from Blaze Jordan ended the threat. Tong showed he could work out of a jam without giving up hard contact.

The third inning is where things got rough. Chase Davis lined a single to right field to start the frame. Tong then walked Wetherholt, putting two runners on base. He got Fermin to fly out for the first out. But then he left a pitch over the plate to Gorman. Gorman crushed a three-run homer to left-center field. Tong got one more out on a Velazquez flyout before manager Carlos Mendoza pulled him for Douglas Orellana. It was a tough end to the start, but getting these live reps is what spring is all about.

Tong’s Analytics and his New Cutter

Here is the thing about Tong this spring. He spent the offseason working hard on that new cutter. He threw it 18 times on Wednesday. It was his second-most-used pitch behind his fastball. The pitch averaged 91.6 mph. The Cardinals did do some damage against it. Both the single by Davis and the home run by Gorman came off the cutter. Still, throwing a new pitch in a live game is a big step. Tong needs these game situations to see how hitters react to the movement.

Tong knows there will be growing pains with a new pitch. He told reporters that he prides himself on using the cutter as much as possible right now. He believes the value of these live reps is the most important thing for his development. He even said he thinks they are in a really good spot with the pitch moving forward. This is exactly the kind of mindset you want from a young pitcher. The Mets have a crowded starting rotation right now. Guys like Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga are all legitimate options.

Tong was called up late last season to help a struggling rotation. In five starts last year, he posted a 7.71 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. This is his first time in big-league spring training. He is using this camp to learn from veterans and fine-tune his stuff. If the cutter improves, it will make his fastball much more effective. Tong could be a valuable piece for the team later this season.