Paul Articulates – Are things stable with the Ponies?

Two weeks ago I gave an introduction to the Rumble Ponies team – the Mets’ AA affiliate by describing some of the key members to watch and passing along from notes from the interview with manager Reid Brignac.  The Ponies got off to a rough start soon after that, dropping the first series to Portland and then splitting a home series with Somerset.  They have now opened a series with Hartford by belting the Yard Goats 13-7.  The hitting is picking up after a slow start as witnessed by Tuesday’s 12 hits and 13 runs scored.  

So one might ask, “Has the team stabilized its roster and begun to play winning baseball?”

That is a very difficult question to answer because in the minor leagues there is no such thing as stability.  It is a very dynamic environment as players move up and down in the organization to fulfill the need to replace injured players, elevate high performing individuals into stiffer competition, move players down to work on skills, or send players on their way who did not pass muster.  This Rumble Ponies team that is just ten games into a 150 game season has already seen five promotions to AAA, four demotions from AAA, two promotions from A, four players added to the IL, and three players coming on or off the development list.  General Manager JB Bayne could use a new cell phone battery!

The minor league is not a place where players “settle in”.  They are assigned to a level where they are expected to be competitive, and they put in lots of work to improve their skills to hopefully compete at the next level.  There are changes almost every day, and the managers of these ball clubs just take it in stride.  Reid Brignac, manager of the Rumble Ponies is very accustomed to the environment, and is very clear about his priorities: player development and winning.  In a pre-season interview, he categorized it as all about player development during practices, but once the lights go on it is all about winning.  He is faced with the unenviable task of trying to mix his lineup so it is competitive day in and day out while still giving all of his players an opportunity to show their skill on the field.  That is what his organization demands, and that is what he delivers.

So when you talk about stability – it starts with the mindset of the manager.  He understands the 150-game grind, he understands the fragility of player egos, and he understands that adversity is part of the game.  Brignac asserts that the best thing players can do is to take care of their physical and mental well-being.  He has an open door policy because if a player is struggling with something, Reid wants to be the first to know.  He likely has been through it before during his career and can share some insights with the player to help them get through it.

This year’s roster currently has 15 players in their first year of AA ball.  Twelve players are in their second year at this level.  That leaves four who have seen more than 2 years at the AA level.  There are not a lot of veteran players, nor would you expect there to be, as this is a waypoint in the journey to the dream.  I am confident that Reid will get the most out of the guys he has, and hopefully we will see some of them playing at the major league level.  Five from last year’s squad have tasted the bigs.  

Stay tuned for more information on the Rumble Ponies’ journey.