The New York Mets promoted their top pitching farmhand and top Canadian prospect, Jonah Tong, to triple-A Syracuse yesterday, moving him one step closer to debuting with the big league club. Appropriately, the move happened within a day of the Blue Jays calling up Trey Yesavage (#29 per MLB Pipeline) to the same level.

Tong has seen a meteoric rise in prospect rankings over the last year, landing at #44 in their latest launch. This is all thanks to his breakout 2024 season in which he produced a 3.03 ERA and 12.7 K/9 across three levels. The Markham, Ontario native spent the majority of the season with high-A St Lucie before appearing in a couple of games late in the season with double-A Binghampton.

Heading into this season, we billed him as the 8th-best Canadian prospect. He’ll have a strong chance to top the list this offseason.

Tong may just be the most dominating pitcher in the minor leagues in 2025. Across 20 starts in double-A, he has engineered a 1.59 ERA with an eye-popping 162 strikeouts in 102.0 innings (14.3 K/9), 27 more than the next highest punchout artist in all of affiliated baseball. After struggling with walks early on in his pro career, the right-hander has amassed a 3.9 BB/9 in 2025 to go along with a minuscule 4.4 H/9. His excellence led to him pitching in the Futures Game last month, pitching a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout.

Drafted in the seventh round in 2022 out of Bill Crothers SS and after spending time with Georgia Premier south of the border, Tong’s recent production may position him among the top Canadian pitching prospects in the last decade.

He draws Tim Lincecum comparisons based on his wiry six-foot-one frame and deceptive, over-the-top delivery. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, generating a ton of swing and miss due to elite vertical break to go along with the deception of his delivery. He pairs the heater with a wipeout lollipop curveball and a changeup that has taken a big step forward this season.

Although the 22-year-old is unlikely to factor into the Mets’ plans for the stretch run and postseason, he stands a great chance to place among the very best pitching prospects in baseball in 2026 ahead of a potential big league debut. Tong also figures to be one of the most exciting additions to Canada’s roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic in March, which could end up being a coming-out party for the right-hander.