Coming out of spring training, the Mets did not hesitate to push 23-year-old righthander Jack Wenninger to Double-A Binghamton.
“He’s such a good athlete and has been an awesome worker,” Mets farm director Andrew Christie said at the time. “He’s going to stay in the rotation at Double-A.”
That has proven to be a wise decision.
Through 18 starts, Wenninger had recorded a 2.96 ERA with 109 strikeouts and 25 walks in 91.1 innings. He trails only Binghamton teammate Jonah Tong for the Eastern League lead in strikeouts and ERA, all while compiling an innings total bettered by just two EL starters.
Drafted out of Illinois in the sixth round in 2023, Wenninger chewed through Class A competition in 2024. He struck out 140 batters in 115 innings and spent the second half in the High-A Brooklyn rotation after opening the year in a piggyback arrangement at Low-A St. Lucie.
For Binghamton pitching coach Dan McKinney, Wenninger’s offseason work and preparation set the stage for what has been a breakout season.
“He chose to be around as much as possible in the offseason,” McKinney said. “He came to our strength camps (in Port St. Lucie, Fla.) and got stronger and transformed his body.”
Wenninger’s offseason work enabled him to raise his velocity floor. Last year he pitched at 92.5 mph. This year he was holding steady at 94.6 mph and topping out near 98 late into the summer.
As Wenninger has climbed the ranks, he has expanded his repertoire.
He has begun incorporating a two-seamer to attack righthanded hitters, while merging his sweeper and cutter into shorter slider. He also is experimenting with a spike curveball that shows depth and power up to 84 mph.
Wenninger’s curveball control is still developing, but he already has supreme feel for a splitter, his bread-and-butter pitch since college that is his putaway weapon versus hitters on both sides of the plate.
Wenninger’s north-south pitches—four-seamer, splitter and curve—are accentuated by his higher arm slot.
“He is just a phenomenal kid, a stud worker,” McKinney said. “He’s a really strong competitor. His makeup is off the charts.”
NEW YORK MINUTE
— The Mets have experienced a period of continuity in terms of messaging and instruction under director of pitching Eric Jagers, who took over in 2023. Binghamton pitching coach Dan McKinney notes that this has translated into many Mets pitching prospects seeming to mature and step forward in their third pro seasons.
That has been the case for Jack Wenninger this season, along with fellow 2023 draftees Brandon Sproat (second round), Nolan McLean (third) and Zach Thornton (fifth). It was certainly the case for 2022 seventh-rounder Jonah Tong in 2024.