Andres Chavez
The New York Mets are one of the wealthiest teams in baseball, and are capable of signing just about every free agent they want. That’s not how they operate, though, because it wouldn’t be sustainable.
The Mets have good scouting resources and an even better player development staff. They have shown that through the years, particularly on the pitching staff. They made Clay Holmes a viable starter, they helped Kodai Senga reach elite velocity, and they produced one of MLB’s most promising young starters in Nolan McLean. These are just three examples.
Their most recent player development success is extracting more velocity out of 2023 sixth-rounder Jack Wenninger and making him a top ten organizational prospect.
A Promising Triple-A Debut
The talented 24-year-old made his Triple-A debut on Wednesday and was excellent, pitching 4.2 innings of scoreless ball and striking out five. He gave up five hits and walked one.
When the Mets drafted him, his fastball ranged from 91 to 94 mph. After a few mechanical tweaks, he is now in the 93-96 mph range and occasionally touches the upper-90s. Pairing that heater with his excellent splitter/changeup has earned him excellent results.
Last year, Wenninger mastered Double-A with a 2.92 ERA in 135.2 innings, fanning 147 hitters in the process. He has been described by Baseball America as one of the Mets’ most improbable development stories.
The Mets ‘Most Improbable’ Development Story
“The Mets’ pitching development has been trending up, as they’ve produced multiple top pitching prospects in recent years. Sixth-round pick Jack Wenninger might be among the most improbable development stories. Making his first start of 2026 on Wednesday for Triple-A Syracuse, Wenninger pitched 4.2 scoreless innings and struck out five while allowing five hits and a walk. His mid-90s fastball averaged 18 inches of ride, and he mixed in a changeup, slider, sinker and sweeper. Wenninger has a chance to debut with the Mets this summer,” they wrote.
That’s a fastball with solid speed and excellent utility, which he tunnels. The changeup tunnels off the heater and creates death for hitters. If the Mets can get Wenninger to significantly improve one of his other secondaries (he throws a slider, a curveball, and a sinker in addition to the other two offerings), he could have the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter.
For an organization that produced McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong in recent seasons, Wenninger would be their latest impact arm.
He might not have the potential to be an ace, but if the Mets need a starter in the summer or for the stretch run, Wenninger has a chance to be ready by then.
More about:New York Mets
