Minor League Mondays: Could Jack Wenninger be the next Mets' pitching prospect to watch?

The trade deadline has come and gone and the New York Mets dipped into their pitching depth to complete deals. Some of the club's secondary pitching prospects were shipped out, including Blade Tidwell, Raimon Gomez, Anthony Nunez and Nate Dohm. The Mets were confident enough to deal from a surplus at the position due to their confidence in the depth of the system as it has a lot of intriguing arms, such as Jack Wenninger, who is the focus of this week's edition of Minor League Mondays.

Jack Wenninger is just outside of the Mets' Top 10 prospects.

Wenninger, 23, was the Mets' sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Illinois and has been a rapid riser through their farm system. After spending the start of the 2024 season with St. Lucie, Wenninger had a breakthrough once he reached Brooklyn, going 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA in 10 appearances (including nine starts), striking out 51 batters in 43.1 innings pitched.

That strong finish encouraged the Mets to bump Wenninger to AA Binghamton to start the season, and he has pitched well for the Rumble Ponies. In 20 starts this season, Wenninger is 9-6 with a 2.84 ERA, striking out 113 batters in 101.1 innings pitched. The Rumble Ponies have kept Wenninger in their rotation all season long and if he keeps pitching well he could make a cameo at AAA Syracuse by the end of the year.

Wenninger's fastball can hit 96 miles per hour but usually sits in the 91-94 range. The best secondary pitch that Wenninger offers is a splitter, while he also has a changeup, sinker and gyro slider that the Mets added to deeper his repertoire in hopes of sticking as a starter.

Scouts are high on Wenninger, who is currently ranked 11th on MLB.com's list of the Mets' Top Prospects, due to his control and his ability to fare well against left-handed pitching. While there is no true dominant pitch in Wenninger's arsenal, his ability to throw multiple pitches for strikes gives him a chance to develop into a middle of the rotation starter, which could make him a valuable depth piece in the future.