The Mets aspirations in 2026 fall on their pitching lab. Over the last couple of years they have parted with former top prospects (Dom Hamel, Mike Vasil, etc) partially because of the of the belief that they can help more pitchers take that next step in their development.
Jack Wenninger hopes to be one of those pitchers this year, going from prospect to top-prospect.
The Mets drafted Wenninger in the 6th round back in 2023 out of the University of Illinois. The 6’4″ right hander struggled in his first season of college ball, posting a 5.26 ERA over 51 1/3 innings at Murray State. He found more success the next season after transferring, with a 4.59 ERA over 80 1/3 innings
Wenninger started to put things together with the Mets in 2024. He had a 4.30 ERA over 115 innings with 140 strikeouts. His 1.278 WHIP was in the same ballpark as his 1.207 WHIP during his season with Illinois. It was his strikeout rate that took a jump from 8.0 K/9 in college to 11.0. If 2024 was a step forward, 2025 was a leap forward. Wenninger had a 2.92 ERA over 135 2/3 innings in Binghamton with his best MILB WHIP at 1.150.
According to his scouting report, Wenninger throws a low-90’s fastball and pairs it with a low-80’s splitter, all from the three-quarters arm slot. He also mixes in a sweeper, cutter and curveball. After a full year in Binghamton, he’s probably heading to Syracuse this season. There is more reliable Statcast data in Triple A, and hopefully we can get easier access to data about his specific pitches.
For Wenninger to make the majors in 2026, two things have to happen. First, he needs to continue the success that he saw in Binghamton last year in Syracuse against stronger opponents. Second, enough has to go wrong for the Mets at the major league level to create the opening. The Mets did set a record for pitchers used last season at 46 and recreated their rotation with rookies on the fly at the end of the season. Hopefully if the Mets call on him, its because his performance in Syracuse demands it, not because of roster crisis.
Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean were the three Mets pitchers I was most excited to watch during the 2025 spring training games. It felt like taking a glimpse at the future of the team. Wenninger could be part of that future too!
