Most young pitchers come to spring training as objects of curiosity, and many fans know little or nothing about them. That’s not the case for starter Jonah Tong of the New York Mets, though, who’s clearly having a very different experience.
Tong did a wide-ranging interview yesterday with Jared Greenspan of MLB.com, and he talked about both his recent baseball experience and some subjects that went way beyond pitching and the possibility of making the rotation.
First the baseball stuff. Tong worked on developing his pitching arsenal this offseason, which makes sense given that he got lit up a couple of times during his September cameo when big-league hitters sat on his stellar curve and mostly ignored his secondary stuff. Tong said he focused on his slider and curve to make sure those are “dialed in.”
He also discussed the differences between the majors and minors, saying that there’s what he called a “developmental focus” in the minors that’s just about making it to the majors. Once you’re there, Tong added, it’s all about winning, the team and very small things players do really well.
Tong also described his personality as that of “a bulldog mentality when I”m on the mound, but a big softie off it.” Tong’s fun-loving side has been described in multiple interviews in the past, and he differentiates between what he calls his “JT” personality that’s been given to him by members of the Mets staff and his ability to flip a switch at game time and refocus.
The fun stuff with Tong is definitely different. For starters, he says he didn’t know that fans were bringing kitchen tongs to his appearances until someone told him about it.
“I think some guy was in the 500s or 400s [section] and he was just clapping [them],” he explained (we're sensing a merchandising opportunity here). “And I was like, ‘There’s no way a guy brought tongs to a baseball game.’ I love it.”
Finally, if you happen to be in Florida this spring and you need a recommendation for maple syrup or pho (a Vietnamese noodle soup), Tong’s your guy. He says he’s obsessed with it, and that it’s “incredible” and “my favorite thing.”
Tong is a bit more casual about maple syrup, but as a Canadian, he does consider himself something of an authority. His rule of thumb is the darker the better, and as such he considers Canadian maple syrup tbe best, of course.
“I prefer Canadian,” he says. “New York is OK. Vermont is OK, too. I’m just kidding, Vermont is alright. It's a very good comparison.”