Former Cyclones Carson Benge and Jonah Tong Named Mets MiLB Player and Pitcher of the Year
SAL Brooklyn Cyclones

Former Cyclones Carson Benge and Jonah Tong Named Mets MiLB Player and Pitcher of the Year

Published on September 15, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Brooklyn Cyclones News Release


FLUSHING, N.Y. - The New York Mets today announced the 2025 Player Development Award winners. Outfielder Carson Benge was named the organization's Player of the Year and RHP Jonah Tong was named the organization's Pitcher of the Year. Infielder Elian Peña was named DR Academy Player of the Year and LHP Osiris Calvo was tabbed as the DR Academy Pitcher of the Year. Additionally, Manager, Sports Science, Jackson Bertoli, was named Minor League Staff Member of the Year, Assistant Field Coordinator, Dominican Republic, Rachel Neugart was named DR Academy Staff Member of the Year and Chad Langley was named Scout of the Year.

The club will also honor Senior Amateur Scout, Marlin McPhail, prior to the game. McPhail, who has spent 39 years with the Mets organization as a player, coach and scout, will retire after the season.

The recipients of the 2025 Player Development Awards will be honored during a pre-game, on-field ceremony at Citi Field on September 17 prior to New York's 7:10 p.m. game against the San Diego Padres.

In his first full professional season, Benge, 22, ascended through the Minor League ranks beginning the season with High-A Brooklyn and ending the season with Triple-A Syracuse. Benge slashed .302/.417/.480 (68-225) with four home runs, 18 doubles, five triples, 37 RBI, 41 walks and 15 stolen bases in 60 games with the Cyclones before his promotion to Double-A Binghamton on June 23. Benge appeared in 32 games for the Rumble Ponies and was named Eastern League Player of the Month for July. During the month, he batted .397/.482/.726 (29-73) and led the league in average, runs (22), hits (29), total bases (53), OBP (.482), SLG (.726) and OPS (1.208). The 22-year-old was promoted to Syracuse on August 11 after only 32 games with Binghamton. Benge represented the Mets in the 2025 MLB All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta and currently ranks as the No. 20 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.

Tong, 22, began the 2025 season with Double-A Binghamton and went 8-5 with a 1.59 ERA (18 ER/102.0 IP), a 0.92 WHIP, a .143 opponent's batting average and 162 strikeouts. He earned consecutive Eastern League Pitcher of the Month honors in May and June and combined to go 6-2 with a 1.13 ERA (7 ER/55.2 IP) and 85 strikeouts across 10 starts between the two months. On May 10, in the second game of a doubleheader vs. Reading, Tong struck out a career-high 13 batters over 6.2 perfect innings as part of the first full-season league perfect game since 2017. Tong was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse on August 11 and did not allow a run across 11.2 innings over two starts with Syracuse before his promotion to the majors on August 29. In his Major League debut, Tong earned the win after he allowed one earned run over 5.0 innings and struck out six against Miami at Citi Field. His Minor League-leading 179 strikeouts were the most by a Mets farmhand in 21 years while his 1.43 ERA was the lowest mark by a Mets minor leaguer in 34 years. Tong threw a perfect inning for the National League in the 2025 MLB All-Star Futures Game and currently ranks as the No. 43 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.

In his first professional season, Peña, 17, slashed .292/.421/.528 (52-178) with nine home runs, 13 doubles, one triple, 36 walks, 47 runs and 21 stolen bases over 55 games with DSL Mets Orange. Among DSL hitters, Peña was tied for third in home runs (nine), tied for sixth in extra-base hits (23) and tied for eighth in total bases (94). The shortstop delivered a pair of three-homer games, becoming one of only two players in all of professional baseball to accomplish that feat this year. The 5-10, 180-pounder was named DSL Player of the Month for August after he batted .404/.509/.787 (19-47) with eight extra-base hits, 11 RBI and 16 runs during the month. Peña was also tabbed by Minor League Baseball as the top MLB Prospect in the Dominican Summer League. The Azua, Dominican Republic native was originally signed by the Mets as an international free agent on January 15, 2025 and currently ranks as the 10th-best prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline.

After he missed the entire 2024 season due to injury, Calvo returned to the mound in 2025 and went 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA (12 ER/43.0 IP), a 0.98 WHIP and 45 strikeouts over 11 outings (9 starts) with DSL Mets Orange. On June 30 at DSL Phillies Red, Calvo threw 5.0 hitless innings and recorded a career-high eight strikeouts. For his performance, the southpaw was tabbed DSL Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 30 - July 6. A DSL Midseason All-Star Game selection, Calvo allowed one or zero earned runs in eight of his 11 outings. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native was originally signed by the Mets as an international free agent on January 15, 2023.

Since joining the Mets in 2020 as an MiLB Sports Scientist, Bertoli has steadily advanced through the organization. He served as MiLB Sports Science Coordinator from 2021 to 2023 before being promoted to his current role as Manager, Sports Science. He is recognized for his strong work ethic, collaborative approach, and ability to manage complex projects from inception to scale. Bertoli is a trusted resource across the organization, working closely with performance, player development, analytics and baseball operations. Through his leadership, Bertoli has made a meaningful impact on both team performance and organizational collaboration, earning the respect and admiration of colleagues at every level.

Neugart began her first season as the Assistant Field Coordinator at the organization's DR Academy and her fourth season with the Mets. In her new role, Neugart improved many aspects of the day-to-day operation of the Academy's baseball schedule, while still maintaining a presence on-field to assist hitting, pitching and defensive coaches. Neugart's career with the Mets began in 2021 when she was a summer intern. She has since served in a number of roles with the team inside baseball operations, beginning with an associate position in 2022, and a fellowship that ran through the end of the 2024 season. She is known throughout the baseball operations team, especially those at the Academy, for her tireless work ethic and deep level of care for each player that walks onto campus.

In Langley's second year as an area scout covering the Upper Midwest, he was responsible for two of the Mets' first three picks in the 2025 MLB Draft, including their first-round selection, Mitch Voit, from the University of Michigan. Voit is currently ranked as the ninth-best prospect in the Mets organization according to MLB Pipeline. Additionally, out of Langley's area, the Mets selected high school pitcher Peter Kussow in the fourth round from Arrowhead Union High School in Wisconsin. Langley continues to exemplify the qualities of preparation, communication and hard work that are expected of all scouts within the organization.

McPhail has spent 39 years with the Mets. After a Hall of Fame career at Cornell University, he was signed by the Mets as an undrafted free agent and spent four years as a player from 1982 to 1986, reaching as high as Triple-A. In 1992, he returned to the organization as a coach before transitioning to a scouting role in 1995. Over the next 31 years, McPhail worked as both an area scout and regional crosschecker, signing players such as Ty Wigginton, Matt Harvey, Bobby Parnell, Cory Mazzoni, Collin McHugh and Jonah Tong.

Check out the Brooklyn Cyclones Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from September 15, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central