The minor league season is in full swing, and prospects across the country are impressively showcasing their talent. Among them, two standouts, one on the mound and one at the plate, have emerged with exceptional performances, strong statistics, and undeniable potential. For May, Prospects1500 names pitcher Jonah Tong and shortstop George Lombard Jr. as our Prospects of the Month.
Pitcher: Jonah Tong, RHP, NYM
The New York Mets’ organizational identity is shifting under owner Steve Cohen and President David Stearns. While the headlines often focus on Cohen’s ability to spend big on free agents like Juan Soto, it’s the club’s pitching development that is quietly becoming its defining strength.
At the major league level, success stories such as Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Griffin Canning, and Clay Holmes have already highlighted the effectiveness of the Mets’ revamped pitching pipeline. But that same development system is beginning to shine in the minors, and Jonah Tong is its most exciting success story yet.
Tong, a right-hander, has made remarkable progress over the last two seasons. After struggling to a 6.00 ERA over 21 innings in 2023, he improved dramatically with a 3.03 ERA across 113 innings in 2024. This season, he’s taken yet another leap—lowering his ERA to an impressive 2.12.
Armed with a lively 65-grade fastball and a newly refined changeup, Tong has added a potent weapon to his arsenal. His Tim Lincecum-like over-the-top delivery gives hitters a unique look and adds deception to every pitch. The result? One of the most intriguing young arms in all of baseball.
Tong’s early-season highlight came in May, when he threw 6 2/3 innings of perfect baseball, no hits, walks, or errors, on just 99 pitches. His team completed the final out to notch the first perfect game in Rumble Ponies history and the first in full-season affiliate baseball since Sept. 1, 2017
With this kind of performance, Tong is rapidly rising past fellow top prospect Brandon Sproat and could earn a major league call-up as early as 2025. He looks poised to become the next breakout star from the Mets’ flourishing pitching factory.
Honorable Mentions: Jacob Misiorowski (MIL), Chase Burns (CIN), Cade Horton (CHC), Nolan McLean (NYM)
Batter: George Lombard Jr., SS, NYY
George Lombard Jr. has rocketed up MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects list, rising from #93 to #44. We had him at #65 on our Prospects1500 preseason Top 105 published at the beginning of April. The 19-year-old shortstop is flashing elite-level defense and growing offensive prowess, solidifying himself as the Yankees’ top prospect.
Lombard’s calling card is his 60-grade glove, a tool so polished that Somerset Patriots manager Raul Dominguez recently compared his defensive instincts to those of 11-time Gold Glove winner Omar Vizquel. That kind of praise speaks volumes about the shortstop’s poise and range in the field.
Offensively, Lombard is still adjusting to Double-A pitching after a recent promotion, but his dominance over Single-A competition earlier in the season turned heads. As he continues to develop, he’s beginning to show increased power potential alongside his already solid contact skills and batting eye.
Add in 55-grade speed, and you have a well-rounded prospect with a high ceiling—and a high floor. Even if the bat takes time to fully develop, Lombard’s elite defense makes him a future MLB contributor at one of the game’s most important positions.
As he acclimates to higher levels of pitching, the former first-round pick has a real chance to evolve into a .280+ hitter with Gold Glove potential, making him one of the most exciting young players in the Yankees’ system, and perhaps in all of baseball.
Honorable Mentions: Zyhir Hope (LAD), Jesus Made (MIL), Leo De Vries (SDP), Joe Mack (MIA)
Allen Settle is an MLB writer who has never given up on his passion for the beautiful game of baseball! He has worked as a beat writer/contributor for the Fansided network, covering both the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins. Currently, Allen is a prospect writer at Prospects1500 and a general MLB writer at YardBarker.com. Allen is also a member of the IBWAA and a regular to their newsletter, Here's the Pitch.
- T Allen Settlehttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/allensettlemlb/
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