Jason Burgos
In what could be the first of many future Subway Series showdowns, New York Mets top prospect Jonah Tong showed his New York Yankees counterpart George Lombard Jr. that he is a bit further along in his development.
There are two names New York baseball fans have been hearing a lot about lately when it comes to prospects that could be playing in the Bronx and Queens in the next few seasons. Those being Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong and Yankees infielder George Lombard Jr.
The pair is either No. 1 or close on various rankings of the two clubs’ minor league systems. And in a rare moment, they got to face off in a Tuesday matchup between Tong’s Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Lombard Jr.’s Somerset Patriots. In two head-to-head clashes, the right-handed pitcher dominated.
In the video above, Tong can be seen hitting a nasty pitch on the outside corner that Lombard Jr. could not get a read on and just watched as he was rung up for a strikeout. The Yankees’ stud prospect struck out twice in three hitless at-bats against Tong.
Tong was not even ranked in the top 10 of MLB.com’s rankings for the Mets’ best prospects in 2024. However, he has soared into the top two from a fantastic season this year. Heading into today’s game, the 21-year-old has an 8-4 record. With a 1.66 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and a strikeout to walk ratio of 146-42 in 92 innings pitched. He has quickly become an untouchable in the team’s system.
While Lombard Jr. did not have a good showing on Tuesday, he has also risen in MLB.com’s Yankees minor league rankings. He ended 2024 at seven. But he now has the top spot in the latest top 10. And he was a popular name in trade talks last week. He has posted a slashline of .206 AVG, .324 OBP, .332 SLG, .656 OPS, with 5 home runs, 22 RBIs, 46 runs, and 15 stolen bases in his first 72 games at Double-A.
