Jonah Tong -- MLB Pipeline’s No. 48 overall prospect -- recently answered questions that fans submitted to an Ask Me Anything on Reddit at r/NewYorkMets. Tong discussed the emotions he experienced during his MLB debut, his passion for maple syrup and Pho, and his reaction to Mets fans bringing tongs to Citi Field. This mailbag features excerpted questions and answers from there, lightly edited for clarity. All of Tong’s answers from the AMA can be viewed here.
Is there something you targeted as a specific area of improvement this offseason?
A big area was just finding my arsenal. I think I do that every year. This year was on a cutter and curveball -- my slider and curveball. I made sure those are dialed in.
I know Tim Lincecum was one of your inspirations for pitching, but who were some of the other pitchers who you tried to emulate?
I think every kid in their right mind should follow Jacob deGrom. He does the poetic version of it. He’s effortless velocity. Greg Maddux in a way, even though I probably missed out a little bit on some of his stuff, just different arm slots. Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson -- for me, it’s more of a mindset thing. A big one I’ve been getting into lately is Pedro Martínez, he’s a good influence for a lot of guys.
What about MLB hitters is different than Minor League hitters?
A big thing is when you’re in the Minors, you’re trying very hard to get to the Majors. There’s a development focus. When you’re in the Majors, it’s like, OK, you’re here. I’ll never forget, Tyrone Taylor was sitting with me on the bench and he goes, ‘Welcome to it.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ and he goes, ‘Well, this is the peak of where you’re trying to get. This is the highest point.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my.’ Listening to some of the hitters and even pitchers, their focus is now the team. Everything is about winning. But it’s fun, right, as a pitcher going through it. They all have very similar approaches, it's just the very small things that they do really well.
What was going through your head during your MLB debut?
Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe. In all seriousness, it was just appreciating the atmosphere, the people around me, and the fact that you only debut once. The pitching coach last year, (Jeremy) Hefner said it best, he’s like, ‘Hey man, go out there, have fun, smile.’ And I thought especially Luis (Torrens) did a great job calming me down in a lot of respects.
How do you balance having a playful spirit with the focus required to get ready for the season?
There's time and places. My big thing is I try to have a bulldog mentality when I’m on the mound, but I’m a big softie off it. I like to have a lot of fun. I’ve definitely channeled, there’s a persona thing I like to call 'JT,' it’s been given to me by our pitching staff. So when I’m able to flip the switch with that, it’s like, OK, game time. And there’s a time for just Jonah to be around.
Have you tried New York state maple syrup and how does it compare to Canadian?
It’s OK. Canadian -- the best thing I describe to people, maple syrup is a little bit different, but classic rule of thumb, the darker the better, it’s just a little more rich. I prefer Canadian. New York is OK. Vermont is OK, too. I’m just kidding, Vermont is alright. It's a very good comparison.
How do you like the fans bringing tongs to games?
So fun fact, I didn’t know that was the case until someone sent it to me later. I think some guy was in the 500s or 400s and he was just clapping. And I was like, ‘There’s no way a guy brought tongs to a baseball game.’ I love it.
What's your favorite Pokémon?
Torterra.
Is there any non-baseball stuff you're a real nerd about?
There’s a Vietnamese dish called pho. I am obsessed with it. It is incredible, it’s my favorite thing. If I could have a cheat meal, death row, it’s pho. Everybody knows this about me: I could probably put down a boiling hot bowl of pho within a minute and 30 seconds, and if you’ve ever had pho, that’s incredible. If you need a good recommendation, I’m probably your person.