Daiverson Gutierrez. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

It’s been a long road to get to this point for Cyclones’ right-hander Wyatt Hudepohl.

As the clock struck two on Coney Island, Hudepohl poured in an 89-mph fastball to Hudson Valley Renegades’ leadoff hitter Core Jackson, marking a triumphant, long-awaited return to professional ball after 686 days on the sideline.

After a sterling collegiate career, New York selected the right-hander in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, inking him to a signing bonus worth 635,000 dollars. Eight games into his professional career, Hudepohl experienced arm discomfort in the fourth inning of a May 2024 start and missed the ensuing year and a half recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

He joined the Mets’ AFL contingent at the onset of the 2025 campaign, but did not get into a game for the Scottdale Scorpions.

The left-handed Jackson greeted Hudepohl rudely, taking his full-count offering over the right field wall at 108 mph, despite the park factors at Maimondies Park hindering right field pop.

The inning got out of hand from there as Hudson Valley loaded up the bases, requiring Hudepohl to deal with immediate traffic. The 25-year-old hit Renegades’ backstop with a pitch to score a run, balked in another, and induced a run-scoring ground ball to score a fourth. The inning extended another three batters, during which Hudson Valley crossed home once more. All nine starters for Hudson Valley reached base in the inning.

Despite 33 pitches to kick off his outing, Hudepol settled in nicely, retiring the Renegades in order in the second and third innings by mixing in his secondaries well, inducing four whiffs. His splitter and sweeper worked well with his over-the-top arm slot, offerings surely optimized by the Mets’ highly-regarded pitching lab.

A second-inning two-out punch out of Kyle West marked his first strikeout since he punched out Cardinals first-rounder Chase Davis on May 18th, 2024. In the third, he retired the middle-third of the Rengeades on just five pitches. A Cole Gabrielson walk with one out in the fourth ended his day.

Overall, Hudepohl threw 57 pitches over three and a third frames, a step in the right direction after two injury-marred seasons. He’s expected to continue to build his pitch count with the Cyclones. Regardless of the box score, the day represented a success for the Hudepohl clan; the outing represented a culmination of a nearly two-year journey.

Despite the early hole, the Cyclones’ lineup had its opportunities, but weren’t able to capitalize. Brooklyn had Renegades starter Sean Paul Liñan on the ropes early. In the first with two outs, Brooklyn 3B Antonio Jimenez shot a seeing-eye single to right field. Daiverson Gutierrez followed him by taking a curveball off his front foot. Liñan buckled down, catching backstop Ronald Hernandez looking at an inside fastball.

The Cyclones threatened two innings later, spelling the end of Liñan’s day after just 55 pitches. Diego Mosquera moved into scoring position with a walk and a stolen base. Two batters later, Jimenez joined him on the bases via a hit-by-pitch. A strikeout by Gutierrez ended the rally.

Jimenez, the pride of the University of Central Florida, is a roll to kick off his stint in High-A, going two-for-six with a double and a hit-by-pitch. Brooklyn manager Eduardo Nunez confirmed that Jimenez is expected to bounce between both positions on the left-hand side of the infield. An interview with the Mets’ third-round pick is forthcoming.

Despite a dearth of available relievers, five relievers followed Hudepohl. Bryce Jenkins, fresh off his own AFL stint, was impressive in his inning and a third, permitting only a single baserunner on the strength of his mid-90s fastball and power slider. Brett Banks flashed 94 in his own scoreless inning and a third.

Nunez faced limited options due to several inter-organizational moves. Before Brooklyn’s Opening Day Game, the Syracuse Mets snagged Tanner Witt from the Cyclones’ roster. After Binghamton’s 13-inning thriller last night, Irving Cota joined the club, transferring two key arms away from Nunez’s staff.

The Cyclones next play on Easter Sunday. Joel Diaz is expected to get the ball for Brooklyn at 2:00 pm.

Triple-A Syracuse is now over a full week’s worth of games into their season, sitting exactly at .500, with Joander Suarez looking to finally push himself over the top and onto the Mets’ major league roster. Brendan Girton looked to make a strong season debut in Binghamton (Double-A) after a solid 2025, while the Cyclones were just hoping their offense would score a few more runs than they did on Friday. For St. Lucie (Single-A), Cam Tilly made his season debut after being drafted in 2025.

Joander Suarez, Photos by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Triple-A

Syracuse (4-4) 9, Toledo (3-5) 7

Box Score

• RHP Joander Suarez: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K (9.00 ERA)
• RHP Joey Gerber: 1.1 IP, H, R, ER (8.10 ERA)
• RHP Mike Baumann: IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB (18.00 ERA)
• RHP Austin Warren: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (0.00 ERA)
• LHP Anderson Severino: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, K (0.00 ERA)

If you don’t like seeing pitchers give up runs, look away. Suarez struggled mightily in his start, allowing more base runners than he recorded outs. He gave way to Gerber and Baumann, who both struggled in their own rights. Baumann was the worst of the two, allowing two of his three base runners to score.

he staff was settled down by Warren, who is likely the first man up for the Mets’ bullpen if someone were to go down. He was followed by Severino, who turned in two scoreless innings of his own. The two combined for four scoreless innings with no base runners and five strikeouts.

• C Hayden Senger: 2-3, HR (3), BB, 2 RBI
• DH Nick Morabito: 1-5, HR (1), RBI
• SS Jackson Cluff: 1-3, HR (1), RBI
• 1B Jose Rojas: 2-4, 2B, RBI
• 2B Vidal Brujan: 2-4, RBI
• LF Jihwan Bae: 2-4

If you like seeing pitchers give up runs, this is the part of the box score for you. Syracuse smacked three homers on Saturday, with Senger hitting his third in just five games on the season. Morabito and Cuff smacked their first of the season each, while Morabito’s incredibly strong play continues into the second week of the season. He was a designated hitter for the second straight game and the third time on the young season.

With Juan Soto being removed from the Mets’ game on Friday with a calf issue, MJ Melendez‘s .717 OPS so far is more important to note than before.

Brendan Girton. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Double-A

New Hampshire (1-1) 2, Binghamton (1-1) 1

Box Score

• RHP Brendan Girton: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K (2.70 ERA)
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (0.00 ERA)
• RHP Bryce Conley: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (3.00 ERA)

Brendan Girton was strong in his season debut, albeit with mediocre command. He was able to navigate his command issues well, only allowing one of his four base runners to score. He also received some help from his defense, as A.J. Ewing gunned down a runner at second base in the fourth to help limit a New Hampshire offensive threat

• LF Matt Rudick: 2-3, 2 2B (2.000 OPS)
• CF A.J. Ewing: 1-3, 2B, RBI (1.101 OPS)
• RF Eli Serrano III: 1-3, 3B (1.600 OPS)

Matt Rudick, the elder statesman of the Binghamton offense, smacked a pair of doubles in his first game of the season at 28 years old. A.J. Ewing and Eli Serrano followed up their solid play on Friday with more extra-base hits, but that was all there was to the Binghamton offense on Saturday.

Overall, the others in the lineup went 0-for-22 on the day. Top prospect Jacob Reimer is just 1-for-10 to start the 2026 season.

Mitch Voit. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A

Hudson Valley (2-0) 8, Brooklyn (0-2) 1

Box Score

• RHP Wyatt Hudepohl: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, K (16.20 ERA)
• RHP Garrett Stratton: 1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Brett Banks: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K

Wyatt Hudepohl struggled mightily in his season debut, but the bullpen behind him was solid. After the starter got shelled for six in his season debut, five Cyclones allowed just two runs over 5 2/3 innings, striking out nine and walking just two in relief. Banks and Jenkins each provided over an inning of scoreless work.

• SS Mitch Voit: 1-5, 2B (.333 OPS)
• 3B Antonio Jimenez: 1-3, BB (1.056 OPS)
• 2B Colin Houck: 1-3, BB (.393 OPS)

Once again, the Cyclones’ bats did not do much against Hudson Valley. They managed just three hits, but this time it was the duo of first-rounders in Voit and Houck, while last year’s second-rounder Jimenez is the only bat to record a hit in both games to start the year. His 2026 campaign is off to a nice start, but he’s been a lone bright spot.

Cam Tilly. (photo via Auburn)

Single-A

St. Lucie (2-1)  1, Palm Beach (1-2) 0

Box Score

• RHP Cam Tilly: 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO
• LHP Conner Ware: 3.0 IP,1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO

Right-handed starter Cam Tilly threw five hitless innings for St. Lucie (Single-A) on Saturday. Tilly, a seventh-round pick in 2025, generated 11 whiffs to go along with only two hard-hit balls against. It was a sensational debut for the 21-year-old in his first professional outing.

St. Lucie only needed three pitchers to shutout Palm Beach. The other multi-inning eater was left-handed pitcher Conner Ware. Ware was a 15th-round pick out of Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2025. In his first professional outing, he struck out four over three one-hit innings.

• SS Elian Peña: 1-4 (.929 OPS)
• DH Julio Zayas: 1-4 (.923 OPS)
• LF Randy Guzman: 1-4, RBI (.398 OPS)

St. Lucie’s bats were largely silenced in their 1-0 win on Saturday. The lone run was scored in the fourth inning as Randy Guzman posted a two-out RBI.

18-year-old Elian Peña has begun his first full professional season with a hit in each of his first three games. He is 4-for-12 to begin the season.

A baseball season is a marathon—a slog. A group of games, over a period of six months, was measured by only a select handful of contests.

The first game – Opening Day – is always special. Every team has zero wins and zero losses. It’s a time for festivities, a time to look ahead to the promise of an upcoming season. Each club is a phoenix, ready to rise anew.

A marathon isn’t defined by a start, but it certainly has an impact. Dan Szymborski of Fangraphs recently published empirical research noting that teams with poor Aprils are less likely to reach the playoffs. A postseason berth isn’t marked down to zero by the end of the opening month, but any postseason hopes can certainly be dashed with a poor start. Granted, that conclusion is based on MLB’s playoff setup, but a promising start can serve as a sign of good things on the way.

Noah Hall led the Cyclones in the first mile of their 26-mile march of the 2026 Minor League Season, hurling 4.2 effective innings, but Brooklyn fell to Hudson Valley 3-1 in their home opener at Maimonides Park.

Despite the loss, Opening Day marked the new era of Mets baseball; New York’s two top picks from the 2025 draft made their debut with the Cyclones. SS Antonio Jimenez, the club’s third-rounder, tallied an extra-base hit, while their team’s first-rounder, 3B Mitch Voi,t was held silent over four at-bats. Daiverson Gutiérrez, one of the Mets’ recent IFA splashes, smacked a fifth-inning double in his High-A debut.

Entering the season, Voit was ranked as MMN’s 12th-ranked prospect. Meanwhile, Jimenez was listed 18th, and Gutiérrez was named among the honorable mentions.

Voit, Jimenez, and Gutiérrez are projected to anchor the Cyclones’ starting nine, at least until Elian Peña arrives. Manager Eduardo Nunez said it was hard not to be impressed by the Mets’ draft selections, given their draft pedigree, calling them both hard workers.

Voit’s impressive force plate data at the MLB Draft Combine drove his early draft selection, and his underlying offensive metrics portend future upside. In his cup-of-coffee with the St.Lucie Mets, the Big Ten product produced a .638 OPS, but chipped in 20 stolen bases. Brooklyn, fresh off a season tallying a franchise-record 257 stolen bases, figures to be a suitable home for the speedy Voit.

Renegades’ starting pitcher Pico Kohn treated Brooklyn’s lineup like putty, slinging 5.2 innings of one-run ball. Making his professional debut, the southpaw didn’t allow a hit until two outs in the third inning when Cyclones’ left-fielder John Bay took him deep. Bay, one of the 20 holdovers from Brooklyn’s 2025 roster, slashed .103/.333/.207 in limited time last year.

The Cyclones threatened throughout the game, but 17 strikeouts and a 0-for-8 mark with runners in scoring position proved to be their downfall.

Brooklyn’s best chance to tie the game came in the bottom of the sixth. Jimenez collected his first High-A with a resounding double with one out, celebrating at second with a loud cheer befitting his first hit on Coney Island, but was stranded. The shortstop’s double was one of Brooklyn’s four hits on the night.

In the early going, Cyclones’ starting pitcher Noah Hall matched Kohn, despite a lineup clock-full of lefties, eliciting six whiffs on the backings of his trademark cambio. He mitigated damage in the first and fourth innings despite ducks on the pond.

His arsenal, which he alluded to in an interview with MetsMinors.net, consisted of his high-spin change, a gyro slider, and a series of fastballs sitting in the low-90s. Over the offseason, he removed his sweeper from his repertoire, replacing it with his curveball.

The right-hander set a franchise record by making his third consecutive Opening Day start for the Cyclones. As a testament to his longevity with the club, Hall is at or near the top of several Brooklyn records, currently placing third in club history in starts and fourth in innings pitched.

Hall handed the ball to his new skipper, Eduardo Nunez, after 4.2 strong frames of two-run ball. Nunez, like the aforementioned Voit, Jimenez, and Guiterrez, made his Brooklyn debut on Opening Day in the managerial chair. The former Mets infielder took the job over from Gilbert Gomz after the latter received a much-deserved promotion to the big-league club to serve as their first-base coach.

Nunez credited his managerial role to Gomez, saying:

I was just waiting to have the opportunity…I learned a lot from him. I appreciated the way he went about his business. He was very responsible and organized

The Cyclones’ bullpen carousel performed admirably. After Hall departed, Nunez brought in Gregori Louis, a southpaw, to counter Hudson Valley’s lefty-heavy lineup. Louis danced in and out of trouble over his inning of work, managing to hold the Renegades scoreless. Parker Carlson, an undrafted free agent whom the Mets took a flyer on, popped 93 mph in his scoreless inning and a third. Bryce Jenkins and Hoss Brewer combined for a run over two innings.

Tomorrow, the Cyclones will start RHP Wyatt Hudepohl in Game 2 of their series with the Renegades. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 pm. The club’s full roster can be found here.

Noah Hall. Photo by Bella Dunning of the Brooklyn Cyclones

Nothing epitomizes Noah Hall’s career more than the roller coasters from the Coney Island Boardwalk that surround his home ballpark, Maimodes Ballpark.

In 2023, his last season with the USC Gamecocks, the right-hander was limited to seven starts due to a balky shoulder. Despite the setback, the Mets selected Hall in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

In 2024, the right-hander’s season was knocked off-course by a shoulder injury. When healthy, he pitched well for both the St.Lucie Mets and Brooklyn Cyclones, and even soaked up some innings with the Mets’ AFL contingent for the Scottdale Scorpions in the fall.

Fresh off two injury-marred campaigns, Hall’s primary goal for the 2025 season was just to stay healthy. It’s fair to say the 24-year-old did that and more, posting a 2.72 ERA/3.91 FIP over 21 starts, placing him among the leaders in the South Atlantic League in several categories.

Hall threw 4.1 effective frames in the Cyclones’ 13-1 drubbing of the Hub City Spartanburgers in Game 1 of the SAL Finals, a series that the Cyclones would go on to sweep. After his successful 2025 stint, Hall was named as Brooklyn’s Opening Day starter to kick off the Cyclones’ 2026 season.

After Hall’s postseason outing, I got a chance to speak with him about his season, his work with the Mets’ Player Development program, and his arsenal.

MMO: First of all, congratulations on your outstanding outing. How did it feel being out there on the mound?

Hall: I knew it was a playoff game, so I had to calm down. So I was trying not to let my emotions get the better of me. I was trying to stay calm. Honestly, I was just competing. I struggled a little bit in the beginning, but I just stayed with the pitches I had.

MMO: In 2023, before you were drafted by the Mets, you dealt with a back injury. Last year, your shoulder knocked you out of action for the majority of the season. Given the context of the two seasons prior, talk to me about the importance of the postseason outing.

Hall: It just put the cherry on top of it. I just finished my first season in two years. It just feels good to say I made every start.

Noah Hall gets a K with runners on the corners to keep Hub City off the board.

Brooklyn leads 4-1 as we head to the bottom of the 3rd at Maimonides Park. pic.twitter.com/pdC9Bddo52

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) September 14, 2025

MMO: Talk to me about the transition from college ball to professional baseball. What did you expect? What was different from your expectations?

Hall: Well, it’s different, but I didn’t expect much. I had to learn it as I went. I tried not to have too many expectations. I would say I needed to pay attention to everything with plenty of detail. I needed to pay attention to detail with my body, routine, arm care, and lifting.

In the game, the preparation changed, too. I had to learn to read people’s swings. Overall, I would say the biggest adjustment is dealing with in-game situations like game planning.

MMO: Has there been a lot of change in terms of the technology used at the collegiate level compared to the technology used in professional baseball?

Hall: Yeah, I’d say, obviously we had Trackman and all that stuff (in college). In St.Lucie, we had the pitching lab. I talked to the guys [Mets’ Player Development Staff] about my information, and I just think it’s really cool.

It seems like a lot, but when you’re searching for answers in baseball, it really gives you a more specific issue to focus on. The lab breaks your body down mechanically, and it counts everything, from the force that your ball comes out of your hand to the level of flexion in your elbow.

It just helps get down to the details of it. I feel like the technology is what takes you to the next level in this game.

MMO: Anything specifically that you learned during your time in the pitching lab that you brought into today’s start?

Hall: My main problem is just something I still deal with to this day. It’s a counter-reaction at the peak of my leg lift. I played infield a lot, so I just want to fly open with my hips instead of getting that coil at the top of my leg lift and then holding it.

MMO: Can you walk me through your high spin changeup? Do you have any other unique aspects of your arsenal?

Hall: The high spin changeup comes from me playing basketball. Kyrie Irving was one of my favorite players, and I like making cool layups. I threw my two best sweepers of the year today. I’m going to work on the sweeper in the offseason. [The Mets Player Development People] like to talk about my two-seam, my four-seam, and my cutter. All three of my fastballs play really well with my arm slot.

MMO: Is there anything you’re really trying to focus on in the off-season?

Hall: Just continue to use and do my routine that I found here. I feel like I found a good strength and conditioning program with a mobility program, recovery, and ice baths.

Coming into next year, I have a really good idea of what I need to work on. I need to continue to get stronger and continue to let my body recover from throwing a hundred innings for the first time in two years.

This offseason, I’ll also work on the mechanical stuff that I haven’t really had time to work on because it’s kind of hard during the season. I can’t go out there and worry about mechanics in-season. I feel like if I stop and get complacent, progress is taken away.

MMO: Are there any pitchers in the Majors that you try to replicate, either in your delivery or your arsenal?

Hall: I try to take pieces from the Goats. (Detroit Tigers Cy Young Award Winner Tarik) Skubal did a YouTube video on his whole routine and I took a lot from that.

My favorite pitcher of all time, though, is Pedro Martinez. I like his mentality. He wasn’t scared to go in. He wasn’t scared to throw a fastball, and he wasn’t scared to throw at somebody’s head to be like, I’m here.

I feel like that’s really what made him. Obviously, he threw hard and threw a nasty changeup. I also like Stroman, Scherzer, and McLean. They all have good changeups

MMO: Is there anyone’s specific changeup that you really like?

Hall: I learned my changeup by listening to Pedro talk about it on YouTube. I tried to make it my own pitch and figured out how to use it best to utilize it.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Interview link: https://soundcloud.com/matt-mancuso-139191659/noah-hall-interview

Elian Pena. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Jonah Tong, the No. 46 prospect in baseball on MLB Pipeline, got roughed up in his second start to his Triple-A campaign in 2026. Tong only lasted 1 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs (four earned) on four hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Control has been an issue at times in Tong’s minor league career, and this start was no different. Only 34 of his 60 pitches thrown were for strikes, and his average four-seam fastball velocity was down nearly two miles per hour from last year, which is not uncommon for this time of the year. Despite the rough start, Tong is still looking to develop his secondary pitches to prepare for an eventual call-up to the Mets.

This loss brought Syracuse to 3-3 before squaring off again with Toledo at 4:05 PM for Fizzy Friday & Fireworks day.

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets (3-3) 7, Toledo Mud Hens (2-4) 17

BOX SCORE

• DH Nick Morabito 2-for-4, BB, 2B, R (.818 OPS)
• SS Ronny Mauricio 3-for-5, 2B, RBI (.697 OPS)
• LF Ryan Clifford 2-for-5, 2 K (.572 OPS)
• C Hayden Senger 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R (1.257 OPS)
• 2B Vidal Bruján 2-for-2, 2B, BB, R, K (1.127 OPS)

Offense was not the issue for Syracuse, who was able to put together 13 hits and score seven runs. Five Syracuse Mets players collected multi-hits, most notably Hayden Senger, who added two home runs and three runs batted in, raising his 2026 OPS to 1.257. Ronny Mauricio continued to heat up, adding three hits and a double. Ryan Clifford, MMO no. 5 prospect, tallied his first multi-hit game of 2026. Clifford has had hits in five out of the first six games in Syracuse, however also struck out five out of the first six games as well.

• RHP Jonah Tong 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K (6.35 ERA)
• RHP Ryan Lambert 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K (13.50 ERA)
• RHP Alex Carrillo  1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB (27.00 ERA)
• RHP Dan Hammer 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (0.00 ERA)
• RHP Daniel Duarte 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (6.75 ERA)

It was not just Jonah Tong who struggled, most of the Syracuse pitching staff struggled. Seven Syracuse Met pitchers made an appearance, and only two of them did not give up any earned runs. Mets relief pitching prospect Ryan Lambert gave up two extra-base hits and a run before striking out the side in the fourth inning. Alex Carrillo, a familiar face to some Mets fans, let the game get out of hand in the fifth with a combination of loud contact and a pair of walks, surrendering four earned runs while only being able to record one out.

Single-A

St. Lucie Mets (0-1) 3, Palm Beach Cardinals (1-0) 6

BOX SCORE

• SS Elian Peña 2-for-4, 2B, BB, K (1.350 OPS)
• 1B Randy Guzman 0-for-4, BB, K (.200 OPS)
• DH Julio Zayas 2-for-5, 2R, 2K (1.000 OPS)
• LF AJ Salgado 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB (1.400 OPS)

The St. Lucie Mets opened their season with a 6-3 loss to the Palm Beach Cardinals. This game marked the debut of 18-year-old shortstop prospect Elian Peña. Peña, MMO no. 8 prospect, notably bypassed the Complex League by being assigned directly to St. Lucie Mets in 2026. Peña tore up the DSL league in 2025, producing a .949 OPS, nine home runs, 33 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and an equal number of walks and strikeouts. This talent was on direct display in the opener, as Peña went 2-for-4, added a well-struck double to right, and walked. Julio Zayas added a pair of hits and runs, and LF AJ Salgado hit the team’s first home run of the season.

• LHP Nicolas Carreno 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2K (3.86 ERA)
• RHP Tyler McLoughlin 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (16.20 ERA)
• RHP Omar Victorino 3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 K (3.00 ERA)
• RHP Felix Cepeda 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER (0.00 ERA)

Opening day starter Nicolas Carreno was up to 96 miles per hour in his 2026 debut. Carreno made a brief appearance for St. Lucie last year, throwing six innings with a 1.50 ERA. Tyler McLoughlin, the Mets 10th round pick from the 2025 Amateur Draft out of the University of Georgia, made his debut in his first full professional season. McLoughlin, throwing from a nearly sidearm arm slot, looks to establish himself this year as a relief pitching prospect in the Mets farm system. Felix Cepeda, formerly of the Red Sox farm system, made his Mets debut, throwing a scoreless inning to start his season.

Elian Pena. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Coming off a strong spring training, youngster Elian Peña will headline the 2026 St. Lucie Mets Opening Day roster. The 18-year-old from the Dominican Republic, inked to a $5 million signing bonus in January 2025, slashed .292/.421/.528 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs in 221 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League last year. He stole 21 bases in 25 tries. He walked the same number of times (36) that he struck out.

The team will be managed by Luis Rivera. One of the new coaches in the Mets system will be in Port St. Lucie, former big leaguer Jimmy Nelson as the assistant pitching coach.

Catchers

Francisco Toledo – The 20-year-old will be making his full season debut.

Julio Zayas – Another 20-year-old making his full season debut. He had a .769 OPS last season for the FCL Mets.

Chase Meggers – He was signed to a minor-league contract as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Oregon last July and went 16-for-58 (.276 batting average) in 19 games for St. Lucie.

Infielders

Elian Peña – He had two three-homer games in the DSL and showed smooth hands and good footwork at shortstop, per a scouting report on Baseball Savant. The evaluators believe he has “legitimate five-tool impact potential across the board.”

Eddinson Paulino – The 23-year-old hit 13 home runs in 360 plate appearances and posted a .626 OPS for Double-A New Hampshire (Blue Jays) last season. The Mets signed him as a minor-league free agent after Toronto opted not to put him on its 40-man roster.

Sam Robertson – He went 10-for-58 for St. Lucie after the Mets took him in the 17th round of the 2025 draft out of Northwest-Shoals (Alabama) Community College.

Kevin Villavicencio – The 22-year-old posted a .605 OPS in 83 games at St. Lucie last year and then a .590 OPS in 63 games in the Mexican Pacific Winter League.

Randy Guzman – He hit 10 homers in 75 games combined last year between St. Lucie and Rookie Ball. “He’s up there to hack,” per a Baseball Savant scouting report. “When he runs into a ball, he really runs into it with his strength.” His 90th percentile exit velocity at Low-A was higher than Konnor Griffin‘s in the same league. The Mets signed him for $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in September 2022.

Outfielders

Sam Biller – He went 4-for-17 at St. Lucie after the Mets signed him as an undrafted free agent in August. He hit 13 home runs and posted a .978 OPS in 58 games at the University of Connecticut last year.

Simon Juan – He hit .222/.290/.340 with seven homers and stole 17 bases in 98 games at St. Lucie last season.

AJ Salgado – He hit .312/.418/.581 with 12 home runs in 64 games at UCLA last year and the Mets signed him as an undrafted free agent. He then went 19-for-72 with a home run and six steals in 23 games at St. Lucie.

JT Benson – The 24-year-old will be making his affiliated ball debut.

Cam Tilly

Pitchers

RHP Luis Alvarez – The reliever struck out 30 and walked 15 in 23 1/3 innings (5.40 ERA) at St. Lucie last season

RHP Frank Camarillo – The 2025 13th round pick will be making his pro debut.

LHP Nicolas Carreno – The 19-year-old from Venezuela pitched to a 6.85 ERA in 22 1/3 innings at Rookie Ball last year, then gave up one earned run in six innings at St. Lucie.

RHP Felix Cepeda – The 25-year-old pitched for the Sioux City Explorers in the American Association last year.

RHP Joe Charles – The 25-year-old had 49 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings last year for Florida State University.

RHP Jose Chirinos – He posted a 3.20 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 56 1/3 innings pitched at St. Lucie last season.

RHP Jorge De Leon – He struck out 27, but walked an alarming 24 in 18 2/3 innings pitched to a 6.27 ERA for St. Lucie last year.

RHP Ryan Dollar – The 2025 undrafted free agent signee will be making his pro debut.

RHP Joel Lara – The 19-year-old reliever from the Dominican Republic struck out 42 in 34 innings (3.71 ERA) at Rookie Ball and St. Lucie last year.

RHP Tyler McLoughlin – The 2025 10th round pick pitched in only two games last year.

RHP Ernesto Mercedes – He pitched to a 3.38 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 42 2/3 innings at St. Lucie last season.

RHP Elwis Mijares – The 20-year-old from Venezuela gave up four earned runs in 12 2/3 innings at Rookie Ball last season.

RHP Christian Rodriguez – The reliever struck out 41 and walked 31 in 40 2/3 innings pitched (4.20 ERA) combined at St. Lucie and in Rookie Ball.

RHP Joe Scarborough – The Mets took him in the 19th round of last year’s draft out of Jacksonville State University in Alabama, where he struck out 14 in 18 1/3 innings.

RHP Cam Tilly – The highest drafted player on the St. Lucie roster will be making his pro debut.

RHP Omar Victorino – He pitched to a 3.97 ERA in 65 2/3 innings combined last season at St. Lucie and in Rookie Ball. He struck out 52 and walked 40.

LHP Conner Ware – The 15th round pick from last year will also be making his pro debut.

RHP Caden Wooster – The Mets signed him as an undrafted free agent last year out of Santa Clara, where he pitched to a 7.24 ERA over 27 1/3 innings.

The St. Lucie Mets will kick off their season on Thursday vs the Palm Beach Cardinals in Jupiter.

Binghamton Roster

Brooklyn Roster

Mitch Voit. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The 2026 Brooklyn Cyclones will look to defend their title as South Atlantic League champions. With 2025 manager Gilbert Gomez joining the Mets big league coaching staff at first base, Eduardo Núñez will manage the squad in 2026.

The 2026 roster is headlined by infielders Mitch Voit and Antonio Jimenez, the Mets’ top two picks from the 2025 draft.

Catchers

Ronald Hernandez – He hit .224/.318/.335 with six homers and 52 RBIs in 101 games for Brooklyn last year. The switch-hitting 22-year-old from Venezuela stole 23 bases in 28 attempts.

Vincent Perozo – After posting a .754 OPS in 58 games at Low-A St. Lucie, the 23-year-old went 10-for-60 in 20 games for Brooklyn.

Daiverson Gutierrez – The 20-year-old had a .671 OPS with the St. Lucie Mets in 2025, but almost walked (53) as many times as he struck out (58).

Infielders

Corey Collins – It hasn’t clicked yet for the 24-year-old taken in the sixth round of the 2024 draft out of the University of Georgia. He hit .183/.299/.267 last year with two homers in 41 games for Brooklyn.

Colin Houck – An .812 OPS in 62 games at St. Lucie last season was followed by a .558 OPS in 54 games at Brooklyn. He was a first-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Parkview (Georgia) High School.

Trace Willhoite – The 25-year-old hit 14 homers and posted an .852 OPS in 85 games at St. Lucie last year, then went 11-for-59 with two homers at Brooklyn in 19 games.

Mitch Voit – The Mets’ top pick from 2025 struggled a bit in his pro debut with a .638 OPS for St. Lucie, though he did go 20-for-21 in stealing bases.

Antonio Jimenez – Like Voit, Jimenez struggled in his pro debut, but did steal eight bases in 26 games for St. Lucie. He did also walk 12 times during that span.

Outfielders

Yonatan Henriquez – A solid 104 games at St. Lucie last year (.264/.354/.395, eight homers, 33 steals) earned the 21-year-old a late-season promotion. He went 7-for-28 in seven games at Brooklyn.

Diego Mosquera – The 22-year-old from Venezuela hit .217/.323/.253 without a homer in 231 plate appearances for Brooklyn last year.

OF John Bay – The Mets signed the Austin Peay standout (22 homers in 59 games, 1.276 OPS in 2025) as an undrafted free agent and he was excellent in a short stint at St. Lucie, going 18-for-54 with three homers in 17 games. He was 5-for-29 with one home run in 10 games at Brooklyn.

OF-1B Yohairo Cuevas – The 22-year-old New York City native posted an .808 OPS at St. Lucie over 63 games and then a .560 OPS in 30 games at Brooklyn. He stole 21 bases in 24 tries between the two levels.

Irving Cota

Pitchers

RHP Juan Arnaud – The 22-year-old reliever from the Dominican Republic struck out 45 in 40 1/3 innings for St. Lucie last season while pitching to a 2.45 ERA. He had a rough time in six outings in Brooklyn, however, surrendering seven runs on nine hits over 7 1/3 innings.

RHP Channing Austin – He struck out 66 in 71 innings pitched at St. Lucie (4.31 ERA) last year, then made one appearance for Brooklyn, which is his hometown. He was a standout at Poly Prep Country Day School in Dyker Heights, then played college ball at the University of Virginia and the University of Southern California.

RHP Brett Banks – He pitched to a 2.49 ERA in 25 1/3 innings for Brooklyn last year, striking out 26 and walking 11. He was an 11th-round pick in 2023 out of UNC-Wilmington.

RHP Hoss Brewer – The closer saved nine games last season in 56 innings split nearly evenly between Brooklyn and St. Lucie. He struck out 58, walked 14 and pitched to a 2.09 ERA.

RHP Parker Carlson – The former Auburn player will be making his pro debut after signing to a minor league deal with the Mets as an undrafted free agent.

RHP Irving Cota – He threw 84 2/3 of his 98 2/3 innings for St. Lucie last year, striking out 72 and walking 19. His ERA for St. Lucie was 4.36. He gave up five runs in nine innings for Brooklyn and tossed five scoreless frames for Double-A Binghamton.

RHP Joel Díaz – He went 5-5 with a 3.80 ERA in 25 appearances (18 starts) for Brooklyn last year, striking out 98 and walking 25 in 106 2/3 innings.

RHP Cristofer Gomez – He struck out 88 and walked 37 in 57 2/3 innings combined at Brooklyn and St. Lucie last season, posting a 4.37 ERA.

RHP Noah Hall – He went 5-7 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 25 appearances (21 starts) for Brooklyn last year. He struck out 115 in 112 2/3 innings. He was a seventh-round selection out of the University of South Carolina in 2023.

RHP Dakota Hawkins – The versatile arm had a 2.44 ERA across three levels last year while starting, closing, and everything in-between.

RHP Hunter Hodges – The reliever tossed 38 innings for St Lucie (2.37 ERA) and then 14 frames for Brooklyn (3.86 ERA) last year. He struck out 73 and walked 41.

RHP Wyatt Hudepohl – The 2023 fourth round pick has only eight pro games under his belt and missed the entire 2025 season due to injury.

RHP Bryce Jenkins – Another 2023 draft pick that has been limited due to injuries, the former 17th rounder has 16 pro outings.

RHP Jonathan Jimenez – The 22-year-old had a 3.47 ERA in 59 2/3 innings last year between the FCL Mets and St. Lucie Mets.

LHP Gregori Louis – The 23-year-old reliever pitched to a 5.64 ERA and struck out 38 in 30 1/3 innings combined at three levels, the highest being Brooklyn.

RHP Garrett Stratton – The 20th round pick from last year has one pro inning.

RHP Tanner Witt – Another pitcher who has struggled with injuries, the 2024 pick has four pro innings.

The Brooklyn Cyclones start their season at home on Friday. MMO writer Matt Mancuso will be covering the series.

A.J. Ewing. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Manager Michael Collins will have a lot of talent to work with when the Rumble Ponies start their season on Friday, April 3, in New Hampshire. Here is the 2026 preliminary roster, announced by the team, highlighted by some of the team’s top prospects: A.J. Ewing, Jacob Reimer, and Jonathan Santucci.

Stats are across all minor league levels for the 2025 season.

Catchers

Kevin Parada – The former first round pick has struggled heavily since he was drafted and will look to take steps forward both offensively and defensively. He ended the 2025 season with a cup of coffee in Triple-A but is returning to Double-A to begin the 2026 season. (.245/.319/.407/.726)

Chris Suero – Chris Suero is coming off impressive performances in the Arizona Fall League and spring training where he showed off his power and defensive versatility at first base and the outfield. He does still struggle with his swing and miss and contact rates but the power is real. (.233/.379/.407/.786)

Infielders

Nick Lorusso – Lorusso is repeating Double-A after struggling there down the stretch in 2025. He has played all over the infield and will look to play close to his .984 OPS from July than his .387 OPS in September. (.241/.312/.368/.680)

Jacob Reimer – Jacob Reimer took a big step forward in 2025 and many outlets consider him a Top 100 prospect now. He has a plus hit tool with plus power, and his next step will be to refine his defensive skills. (.282/.379/.491/.870)

JT Schwartz – After a strong showing at Double-A in 2024, JT struggled offensively in 2025. He has played first base, third base, and corner outfield in the minor leagues. (.203/.307/.328/.635)

Wyatt Young – Young spent time in Triple-A in 2022, 2023 and 2024 but mostly struggled at the level, spending time at Double-A each season. While he has been an above-average hitter at Double-A, he has declined year over year offensively. (.244/.365/.292/.656)

Marco Vargas – The versatile infielder hit .258/352/.323 last year, but had 40 stolen bases.

Outfielders

D’Andre Smith – Smith ended the 2025 season in Double-A, slashing .279/.334/.411/.745, with seven home runs and twenty-four stolen bases. He will look to build on that and earn a promotion to Syracuse before the end of the season. (.282/.345/.417/.762)

A.J. Ewing – A.J. Ewing has skyrocketed up the prospect rankings and through the Mets farm system. He impressed in spring training and could continue to force his way through the pro levels in 2026. (.314/.401/.429/.830)

José Ramos – After a strong showing in Triple-A but a rough spring training, Ramos will look to show off his above-average power metrics while improving his poor contact rates. (.251/.326/.456/.782)

Matt Rudick – Rudick made it to Double-A in 2024 and posted a strong OBP but a low SLG. He missed most of 2025 with Tommy John surgery and will look to start fresh in 2026. (.157/.333/.333/.666 in three games)

Eli Serrano III – The talented lefty hitter struggled with lingering small injuries and a really tough park in Brooklyn for left-hander hitters.

Jonathan Santucci. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Starting Pitchers

Jonathan Santucci – Jonathan Santucci impressed in the Spring Breakout game, showing his improved control and pitch mix. He will look to build upon that in 2026. (3.06 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 117.2 IP)

Will Watson – Will Watson impressed throughout 2025 and even made Baseball Prospectus’s Top 101 list this offseason. His velocity was down in spring training so that could be a trend line to watch in 2026. (2.60 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 121.1 IP)

Zach Thornton – Thornton showed off his plus control and command during spring training as well as potential velocity gains. He has the potential to be a big riser in the system in 2026. (1.98 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in 72.2 IP)

Brendan Girton – Girton ended the 2025 season with a cup of coffee in Double-A after a very strong performance in High-A. He is a high strikeout high walk pitcher who will look to improve that control. (3.10 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 87 IP)

Bullpen

Felipe De La Cruz – After a strong showing in Double-A, Cruz ended the year in Triple-A, though he struggled in his 24.2 IP there. He will look to improve his control while building on his strong swing and miss stuff. (5.04 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 64.1 IP)

Saul Garcia – Garcia had a great 2025 season and after showing swing and miss stuff in spring training could be a fast riser for the Mets in 2026. (1.70 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 47.2 IP)

Kevin Gowdy – After struggling in Triple-A in 2025 and a brief stint in the Mexican league, Gowdy is looking for a bounce-back season. He is a groundball-heavy pitcher who attacks the zone.

Carlos Guzman – after a strong showing in Double-A, Guzman got a cup of coffee in Triple-A in 2025, his third stint at the level. He attacks the zone, generates ground balls, and has decent swing and miss. (3.12 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 49 IP)

Douglas Orellana – While the results were not great, Orellana showed off his plus cutter/curveball combo in spring training. After a strong season in Double-A in 2025 he struggled in Triple-A and will be repeating Double-A. (2.96 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 51.2 IP)

Zach Peek – Peek spent 2025 in the Brewers system, and while he ended the year in Double-A, he did not display the same wipeout stuff he did in High-A. He will look to take that next step forward with the Mets. (3.63 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 69.1 IP)

Gabriel Rodríguez – Rodríguez left pro ball in 2023 and has cycled through the Mexican League, Atlantic League, and Puerto Rico Winter League. He looks to reestablish himself in pro ball in 2026. (1.50 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in 24 IP in Puerto Rico Winter League).

Ben Simon – Simon pitched for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic and is one of the most electric relievers in the Mets system. He throws four plus pitches including a 96 miles per hour sinker with a strong movement profile. (2.98 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 54.1 IP)

Matt Turner – Matt Turner spent 2025 in the Rockies system and while he performed well in Double-A, he struggled heavily in Triple-A. His slider is his best pitch and he relies on deception from his low arm slot. (5.79 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in 56 IP)

Jefry Yan – Jefry Yan also struggled heavily results wise with the Rockies Triple-A club, though his metrics looked much better than those results. He ran a 34.2% whiff rate and 29.4% chase rate. (7.28 ERA and 1.85 WHIP in 29.2 IP)

Injured List

Tyler Burch (60-day IL) – Burch is coming off elbow surgery, but should be available to pitch later in the 2026 season.

Joshua Cornielly (Full Season IL) – Cornielly was viewed as a candidate who could be grabbed in the Rule 5 Draft before his injury and will now miss all of 2026.

Carson Benge via his Instagram

No. 2: Carson Benge, OF

B/T: L/R          Age: 23 (1/20/2003)

Ht: 6’1″             Wt: 184 lb

ETA: 2026

Acquired: 2024 1st Round Draft Selection

The Mets made Carson Benge, a two-way standout from Oklahoma State, the 19th overall selection in the 2024 Amateur Draft. Despite losing his first year to Tommy John surgery, Benge hit .339 with a 1.064 OPS in 120 games at Oklahoma State while posting a 4.88 ERA across 72 innings. In his senior year, Benge slashed .335/.444/.665 with 18 home runs, struck out 44 hitters over 37 innings, and posted a 3.16 ERA to become a finalist for the John Olerud Two-Way player of the year award.

During the draft process, many scouts saw Benge as a prospect who could play both sides of the ball.  However, upon being drafted, he announced that he would remain an outfielder, which would allow him to develop as a position player only. In 2024, Benge signed with the Mets for $4 million, marking the start of his professional career.

In 2024, Benge made his professional debut with the St. Lucie Mets. Despite only playing 15 games, Benge began to show why the Mets were so high on him as a hitter. Benge hit .273 with an OPS of .857, hit two home runs, stole three bases, and walked 11 times compared to 14 strikeouts. Defensively, Benge showed that he can play the outfield just as well as he can hit. His athletic ability, paired with his arm strength, made for a strong display of the defensive tools Benge has at his disposal as a prospect moving forward.

2025 was the start of a meteoric rise for Benge and his prospect status. Seeing time at Brooklyn, Binghamton, and Syracuse, Benge slashed .281/.385/.472 with 15 home runs, 22 stolen bases, and a 150 wRC+. In 2025, Benge proved quickly that he was too good for the lower levels of the minor leagues, hitting .302 and .317 at Brooklyn and Binghamton, respectively, before ending the year at Syracuse with some struggles. In 24 games at Triple-A, Benge slashed .178/.272/.311 with a measly 53 wRC+. However, the small road bump at Triple-A did not stop several major publications from putting Benge as one of the best outfield prospects in baseball. MLB Pipeline ranked Benge as the number 16 prospect in baseball, with only three true outfielders ahead of him.

Aiding Benge’s historic rise on the prospect charts is his true five-tool potential. While it may seem that he doesn’t have any truly elite tools, Benge has the chance to become a true five-tool MLB player. He can hit over .300, he can hit 20+ home runs, he can steal 35+ bases, and he has the arm and defensive potential to be an elite defender. Those types of players are incredibly rare in today’s game.

Under the hood, Benge looks just as good as his production, if not better. In 2025, Benge’s hard hit rate and bat speed were both better than big league average. He showed fantastic plate discipline skills, with an 80.9% contact rate and a 13.1% walk rate, which would’ve ranked tied for 14th of all qualified MLB hitters in 2025. In terms of his batted ball profile, Benge displays a unique and well-rounded profile. He uses all areas of the field while still putting enough balls in the air to do damage. Benge was able to cut down the ground ball rate moving from Single-A to Double-A, with his speed, hitting too many ground balls is never going to be the end of the world.

Something valuable about his offensive approach is the ability to drive balls to all fields without sacrificing swing and miss. Oftentimes, we see players with speed sacrifice power in an effort to prevent strikeouts. This is not the case with Benge. His rare combination of power, bat skills, and speed allows him to produce plenty of extra base hits without becoming an “all-or-nothing” hitter. I think these types of traits look very similar to the type of hitter that Bo Bichette is currently: A player with fantastic bat skills, the ability to drive the ball to all areas of the field, while not striking out at high rates.

This spring, Benge is showcasing why David Stearns had been so adamantly open about his chances to make the opening day roster. Benge has been tremendous at the plate and was in the conversation to make the Mets roster as the starting right fielder on the day from the jump. He has looked the part of someone ready to become a contributor at the MLB level, despite only spending one full season in the minor leagues.

In terms of prospect rankings, Benge slots in at number two, behind only Nolan McLean. As the number one hitting prospect in the Mets organization, it is easy to see why many are so excited to see Benge play at the MLB level. There is an extremely high ceiling to go with a relatively high floor for a player like Benge, who projects to be an everyday contributor for the Mets moving forward.

Jonah Tong. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

B/T: R/R Age: 22

Ht: 6’1″ Wt: 180 lb

ETA: Debuted 2025

2024 Rank: 4th

Acquired: 2022 7th Round Draft Selection

Jonah Tong was drafted as a high school senior and committed to North Dakota State, but he declined when he signed with the Mets. Tong was not ranked as a major draft prospect on any major site at the time he was drafted, but one thing was clear: he knew how to induce spin.

His curveball already generated 2800 RPM of spin in high school, while his fastball came in with above-average backspin. These were the traits the Mets targeted when they drafted him. Three and a half years later, Tong has developed into a clear top 50 prospect.

Tong dominated the minors, pitching to a 1.43 ERA and 0.924 WHIP, earning him Baseball America’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He struck out 40.5% of batters he faced and held batters to a .148 AVG. He was utterly dominant and skyrocketed to the majors by the end of the 2025 season.

His cup of coffee was a bit rocky there with a 7.71 ERA and 1.77 WHIP across 18.2 innings pitched, and he was not aided by his defense behind him. 11 of his earned runs came from 2.2 IP as well. The other 16 innings he pitched to a 2.81 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 31.3% strikeout rate.

From 2024 to 2025, Tong added 2.4 MPH to his four-seam fastball, going from averaging 92.8 MPH to 95.2 MPH. In the majors, he threw as hard as 98.2 MPH. Tong also began throwing his curveball harder, going from 75.2 MPH to 77.5 MPH. He changed his changeup grip to a Vulcan grip and increased how often he threw it while experimenting with a slider, cutter, and sweeper as an east-to-west breaking pitch.

Tong’s 64-degree arm angle is among the highest in baseball, drawing comparisons to Tim Lincecum. This helps him throw his fastball with 19.8 inches of induced vertical break, among the highest in all of baseball. His fastball works best at the top of the zone. He primarily paired it with his Vulcan change, which moves arm side with 13.6 inches of horizontal break, and his curveball, which drops with 16.5 inches of iBV and a spin rate north of 2,600 RPM.

Throughout 2024 and 2025, Tong experimented with various cutter and slider grips and will continue to experiment in 2026. Baseball Prospectus mentioned in their write-up that a “hand of God” slider could be the glove-side bridge pitch he needs between the fastball, changeup, and curveball. It is a very rarely used type of slider due to its difficulty to command. When it is not commanded well, it can turn into more of a cutter. A new cutter grip may also just be the pitch he needs.

Tong has arrived at camp early and looks as if he has simplified his delivery. It will be interesting to see if he has any further velocity gains similar to what he did in 2025. Getting his curveball over 80 MPH will help it play up even further as a swing and miss pitch, and there are not typically downsides to increasing fastball velocity.

Tong started the season in Triple-A, hoping to refine his mechanics, command, and new glove-side pitch. He will also be expected to contribute to the majors across the 2026 season. He turned in a solid season debut on March 27th’s Opening Day, setting the tone for what he hopes is another season like his 2025 campaign.