CINCINNATI -- Friday marked the beginning of a drafting and development celebration for the Mets. Jonah Tong , the organization’s fourth-ranked prospect , started against the Reds. The Mets scheduled their fifth-ranked prospect , Brandon Sproat, to follow in his big league debut on Sunday, and their third-ranked prospect , Nolan McLean, to go Monday in Philadelphia.

Those are the Mets’ three best pitching prospects, full stop. They represent not just the organization’s future, but its present. If the Mets hope to run deep into October for a second straight year, they’ll likely need to do so behind McLean, Sproat and Tong.

Friday was the starting point. And while things didn’t unfold ideally in a 6-3 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park, that wasn’t a major issue for the

See Full Page