Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean participates in the Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Mets' top two pitching prospects shine in latest outings

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI
By Ezra Lombardi | Last updated Jul 25, 2025 6:00 PM ET

With the trade deadline approaching quickly, it's likely that a few New York Mets prospects will end up in another uniform by the end of next week.

Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean, the club's top two pitching prospects, both pitched on Thursday night and proved why David Stearns and company want to keep their names out of any potential deals.

Tong has been fantastic all season for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Now ranked as the team's No. 2 overall prospect, the 22-year-old has a minor league-best 138 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched.

Thursday night was no different for the right-hander, who went five innings, allowing one run on three hits with no walks and six strikeouts against the Reading Fightin' Phils. After giving up two hits in the first frame, Tong tightened up and allowed just one baserunner the rest of the game.

Jonah Tong struck out the side tonight for Double-A Binghamton in his final inning of work in Reading

Final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 79 pitches (53 strikes) pic.twitter.com/QpHt5JypaX
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 25, 2025

Tong threw 53 of 79 pitches for strikes and finished his outing by striking out the side in the bottom of the fifth inning. It's now his ninth consecutive start of five innings or more, an encouraging sign for his development into a big league starter pitcher.

In McLean's outing with Triple-A Syracuse, the righty pitched a career-high 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, with no walks and six strikeouts. In his 13 games since being called up to Triple-A, McLean is now 4-4 with a 3.01 ERA.

Nolan McLean's outing for the @SyracuseMets tonight on SNY:

7.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 85 pitches (55 strikes) pic.twitter.com/z5agRF587t
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 25, 2025

McLean's increased workload could be a sign that the 24-year-old is nearly ready for big league competition. The right-hander is now the Mets' No. 3 overall prospect and has leapfrogged Brandon Sproat as the club's most coveted arm in Triple-A.

McLean is a clear candidate for a September call-up, but could make his debut even sooner if he continues to impress for Syracuse. While the team is almost sure to make a move for additional pitching in the interim, Tong and McLean's continued development is a great sign for the future of the rotation.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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