Mets' Nolan McLean talks Jonah Tong's pitching ability ahead of MLB debut: 'That kid's special'

There's a youth movement currently going on in the Mets' rotation.

After Nolan McLean,who burst onto the scene two weeks ago and continued his dominance of MLB hitting with his third win after pitching eight shutout innings against the Phillies on Wednesday, the Mets are calling up and starting Jonah Tong on Friday against the Marlins.

Tong, who is Joe DeMayo's No. 2 prospect in the Mets system, has quickly risen through the ranks of the minors, dominating Double-A and Triple-A, forcing the team's hand.

In 22 minor league starts, Tong has pitched to a 1.43 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, allowing just 20 runs (18 earned) on 58 hits and 47 walks over 113.2 innings while striking out 179 batters. He was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse less than a month ago and in two starts with Syracuse, struck out 17 batters in 11.2 shutout innings.

So, what can we expect from Tong on Friday? McLean was asked his thoughts on Tong after his win over the Phillies.

"That kid’s special," he said. "I remember when I first got drafted, I stood in one of those bullpens just to watch. Haven’t seen a fastball like that before. And I know he’s developed three more pitches since then and they are all plus. It’s going to be fun to watch him Friday. Can’t wait to see him."

McLean and Tong were teammates in various levels of the Mets' minor league system and will be again once Tong arrives in Flushing, so McLean has come to know the 22-year-old flamethrower and what he can do.

When asked to elaborate about Tong's fastball, McLean, who was a two-way player in college for Oklahoma State, gave his perspective as a hitter and why major league batters may have a hard time figuring the youngster out.

"It just gets on you and it was only in the bullpen," McLean explained. "Can’t imagine being a hitter having to face him with the unique delivery he has as well as mid-upper 90s [fastball]."

Major League Baseball will get its first look at Tong's unique delivery and fastball very soon.

"That kid's special."
Nolan McLean talks about Jonah Tong's upcoming MLB debut and how good Tong's fastball is from a hitter's point of view: pic.twitter.com/YjCZmRW8eQ

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 28, 2025