MARKHAM, Ontario - Life is good for Jonah Tong.

“Fantastic … can’t complain,” Tong said on an off day from baseball that included going to watch a movie.

Being a professional baseball player has the 19-year-old living a dream. It happened after the 2021 Bill Crothers Secondary School graduate signed with the New York Mets following his selection in the seventh round of the MLB Draft.

“What an awesome feeling,” Tong admitted about being chosen with the 209th pick and signing for the $226,000 slot money that goes with it. “I couldn’t keep a smile off my face. My mom was crying a little. It’s been a dream since I was a kid. I think it’s every kid’s dream to play professional baseball.”

But not all dreams become reality.

“If you asked me last year do you think you’ll go to school and then maybe turn pro that would have been my thought,” Tong admitted. “But I had a really good year and things have turned out pretty well.”

It kicked off in mid-March when the sixth-rated 2022 in Canada, who was taking a gap year, joined Georgia Premier Academy. Two months later came an invitation to the MLB Draft League where the 6-1 180-pound right-handed pitcher threw for Frederick Keys. Tong was in Los Angeles when he was chosen on the second day of the draft on July 18.

“I was in LA filming for the Draft League to go through All-Star game festivities,” Tong reflected. “I got a call just as I was entering Dodgers Stadium. We were right behind Aaron Judge who was entering the stadium.”

Tong became a pro eight days later after coming to terms on a contract with the Mets.

“I didn’t know exactly where I would be taken, I was just hoping to be put in a position to go on day two,” Tong said about what was anticipated prior to the draft. “That was the goal as soon as I got to Georgia. To go when I did was a kind of a shock, it was a little earlier than I thought.”

The Mets were actually the first team to make contact with Tong after his first game pitching in Georgia.

“I talked with one of their scouts and gave him some information,” Tong noted. “He was at most of our games after that and stayed in contact with me.”

The 86th-ranked 2022 right-handed pitcher in North America knew this was going to be a different year.

“I tried to plan 2022 to be away from home so I could focus on baseball,” related Tong, who was last in Canada a week before the draft “taking a breather after the Draft League to give my body a break.”

Deciding on life as a pro or going to college, where the second-rated 2022 RHP in Canada had made a commitment to North Dakota State, was not difficult.

“I really didn’t have a preference at that point,” Tong said. “My last game was at the end of May in the conference tournament. That’s when I started thinking I could do this.”

It became a reality on the second day of the draft.

“It’s easy to say all the hard work pays off,” Tong said. “I’m a guy who developed a little later than most, so it was timing and development that was important for me. I’m a late bloomer, that’s the best way to describe it.”

He also stayed in contact throughout the process with his potential college home.

“I have a good connection with Tyler Oakes and was keeping him in the loop and asking him questions,” Tong said about the head coach of North Dakota State. “My big thing was I didn’t want to let anybody down. He made it easier for me to assess the next steps of my future. He was a huge mentor for me.”

Signing day was, admittedly, different than expected for Tong.

“It was a quick process with a physical and medical testing,” Tong explained. “The day I signed I started my throwing program.”

Tong will remain at Port St. Lucie working out until Aug. 24.

“It has been a lot of intro meeting with all the departments, some light practices and getting to see what the throwing program is like,” Tong noted. “It gives you time to integrate into the system working and training along with strength and conditioning.”

Once the rookie season ends this week, Tong will attend a camp throwing bullpens until Sept. 10. Then his thoughts will turn to 2023.

“My goal is to play a full complete season next year,” Tong concluded. “My long-term goal is to make the big leagues, but for now I just want to go with the process and keep working hard. The ultimate goals are to develop, get bigger and stronger and get better each day. That’s my biggest goal.”