Wenninger keeps rolling, posts 1.26 ERA in first Syracuse starts

Jack Wenninger has done more than hold his own in Syracuse. Through his first three Triple-A starts, the 24-year-old right-hander owns a 1.26 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, a start that is beginning to push the Mets’ No. 6 prospect into New York’s pitching conversation.

The surge started in his Triple-A debut on April 1, when Wenninger struck out five and worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings. His next outing was just as steady, with Syracuse reporting five hits, no runs and one walk allowed. In his third start, he gave up one run over 5 1/3 innings and struck out five more. The run has been good enough to turn a promotion into a statement.

What makes the stretch look sustainable is the combination Wenninger has carried with him all the way from Binghamton: a power frame, a splitter that MLB Pipeline grades as his best pitch, and enough strike throwing to keep innings from unraveling. The numbers point to more than simple early-season luck. A 1.19 WHIP over three starts suggests he has not just missed bats, he has limited traffic, which is the difference between a hot week and a credible big-league case.

Wenninger, listed at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, was born in Barrington, Illinois, and the Mets selected him in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, 186th overall, out of Illinois. He signed for $225,000, below slot, and reached Syracuse on March 27 after a breakout 2025 at Double-A Binghamton, where he posted a 2.92 ERA and 142 strikeouts over 135 2/3 innings. That performance ranked him sixth among Double-A qualifiers in ERA and third in strikeouts, and he punctuated it with 11 strikeouts over five innings in Binghamton’s Eastern League championship-clinching win.

Across his minor-league career, Wenninger is 17-13 with a 3.47 ERA, 306 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP in 267 1/3 innings. The quick climb from Murray State to Illinois to pro ball has already been notable; the first three Syracuse starts have made it harder to ignore what comes next.