Santucci reclaims share of Minors K lead after best Triple-A start yet
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Jonathan Santucci might have needed some time to adjust to Triple-A after earning a promotion to Syracuse on Aug. 1, but he turned in his best start at the level on Wednesday in a sparkling outing.
Santucci managed five innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out six and issuing no walks. The performance moved Santucci back into a three-way tie for the most strikeouts in the Minor Leagues in 2026, racking up 157 in 119 2/3 innings. He left the game with his Mets holding a lead over St. Paul, though the Saints used a late rally for a walk-off 5-4 win at CHS Field.
Santucci can become the second Mets prospect to lead the Minor Leagues in strikeouts in the past two years, after Jonah Tong (NYM No. 5) finished with a Minors-high 179 K's last year. Santucci could potentially get two more starts before the Triple-A regular season ends on Sept. 20.
Wednesday lowered Santucci’s Triple-A ERA to 5.28 across six starts, but the start marked his third consecutive outing with at least five innings and two or fewer runs allowed. Perhaps most notably, he has also walked no more than one batter in each of those appearances.
Santucci faced the minimum through three innings Wednesday and worked around a fourth-inning single to stay unscored upon. The only blemish for the 23-year-old lefty was a one-out solo home run from Cody Morissette (Twins) in the fifth.
Santucci, the Mets' No. 2 prospect and top pitching prospect, had his full arsenal working. His six strikeouts came on three different pitches, two apiece for the slider, four-seam fastball and curveball. He also generated 14 whiffs, with at least two on all four of his offerings, including a changeup.
Santucci’s four-seamer additionally peaked at 95.9 mph and still averaged 94.4 mph in his final inning of work. St. Paul, meanwhile, had just two hard-hit balls (95 mph or higher exit velocity) in the game, both of which were singles.
A 2024 second-round Draft pick out of Duke, Santucci has flashed strikeout stuff dating back to his college days, though walks have at times caused trouble for the southpaw. Seeing diminishing free passes, as well as success with pitches beyond his top-end fastball and slider, is key as Santucci works to be a factor in the big league Mets’ future. He has posted a 3.99 ERA overall across two levels this season.