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Jonah Tong (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)
The comparison was unavoidable.
When Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong toed the rubber in the second inning of this year’s Futures Game in Atlanta, Jonathan Mayo on the MLB Network telecast evoked former Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum as a comparison point.
That was no coincidence. The 22-year-old Mets phenom models his pitching motion and approach off Lincecum, the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner in 2008 and ’09.
Tong spent most of this season at Double-A Binghamton, earning an August bump to Triple-A Syracuse, where he made two starts prior to his callup to the Mets to make his MLB debut on Aug. 29 against the Marlins.
Tong leads all minor league pitchers with 179 strikeouts, a 1.43 ERA and .148 opponent average.
As two smaller pitchers with unique looks on the mound, there are myriad similarities between Tong and Lincecum. But there are also a few key differences. Let’s see how they stack up against one another.
How They’re Similar
Pitching Mechanics
Tong uses a pitching motion similar to what Lincecum used, especially in the back of his delivery. Tong uses an exaggerated leg lift while rotating his torso backward toward second base, gathering all his power on his back leg. His glove arm sweeps up and out front, while in back he loads his right arm with a pronounced, deep motion.
Here is video of Tong’s appearance in the MLB Futures Game back in July courtesy of MLB Network:
As you can see, Tong practically jumps at the batter with elite extension of nearly seven feet. As he whips his body forward, he tilts his torso dramatically to allow his arm to get into a straight overhand position for release. Tong’s takeaway, balance point and load are almost identical to Lincecum’s.
For comparison’s sake, here are some highlights from Lincecum’s dominant, 14-strikeout performance in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS:
Minor League Dominance
As mentioned above, Tong led all minor league pitchers in ERA, strikeouts and opponent average this season. He also allowed the lowest slugging percentage and OPS. His 0.92 WHIP ranked second-lowest.
Lincecum, meanwhile, made just 13 minor league starts in parts of two seasons. He struck out 58 batters in 31.2 innings in his pro debut after being drafted in 2006. Assigned to Triple-A Fresno in 2007, he made…