Paul Articulates – A day in AA

The New York Mets franchise has vastly expanded the number of prospects in their organization with the recent flurry of activity at the trade deadline.  Although this has disappointed some who wanted to watch those future hall of fame pitchers lead the team to a championship, it has thrilled those of us that enjoy watching future major leaguers grow from prospect to player.  

One of the primary beneficiaries of the influx of young talent has been the Mets’ AA club the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.  The Ponies have seen their share of young talent move through Binghamton, as the current franchise has been in town since 1992.  They have seen the likes of Reyes, Wright, McNeil, Alvarez, Baty, and countless others on their way to the Major League.

The current roster now includes some names that we are watching closely.  In the infield, there is Luisangel Acuna fresh from the Texas system in the Scherzer deal; Jeremiah Jackson from the Dominic Leone deal; International free agents Cesar Berbesi and Jose Peroza; and 2021 draft pick JT Schwartz.  In the outfield, there is Drew Gilbert fresh from the Verlander deal.  There are also a handful of pitching prospects that have come up through the system after being drafted in 2021 and 2022.  In all there are 9 of the top 30 prospects in Binghamton today.

I attended the Wednesday game which featured 2022 second round pick Blade Tidwell making his AA debut.  Luisangel Acuna was making his second AA start, and was already a fan favorite as a bevy of autograph seekers swarmed him on the sideline.  There was great anticipation in the crowd to watch these two and their teammates take the field.

The seats have a great view anywhere in the ballpark, and there is plenty of entertainment between innings from fan-involved contests to the dad jokes on the big screen from personable owner David Sobotka.  But the reason I go is for the baseball and the chance to see a developing player that may someday be featured at Citi Field.

The Wednesday game was tightly contested.  Tidwell pitched four innings despite not having the best control of his breaking stuff.  There were few things that really impressed me about him.  First was watching him walk in from the bullpen prior to the game, intently focused on catcher Hayden Senger who was giving him some pre-game tips.  Sometimes the “bonus baby” players can have an elitist attitude, but I was watching one of our top prospects intent on learning everything he can from a 5th year AA player. 

 I also saw hustle – he sprinted after a first inning foul pop-up over the first base dugout like it was the final out of game 7.  And finally there was that killer instinct amidst adversity.  With bases loaded in the 2nd inning he bore down and fired three straight fast balls, one reaching 97mph, to fan the opposing hitter and get out of the inning without a run scoring.  

This kid has something more than just skills at the high end of the analytics scale.  He has grit and he has a thirst for learning.  In a game filled with skilled players, his mental approach may be the differentiator.  Watch this kid develop.

Luisangel Acuna had his first AA hit and also made a terrific relay throw to nail a runner at third base.  He looked the part of a prospect with a comfortable approach at the plate and smooth fielding.  I am sure that we will see many highlights from this middle infielder.  

But with Acuna and Jackson joining the team as infielders, there is suddenly a crowd that wants to play there, creating some healthy competition for time.  Third baseman Mateo Gil, a rule 5 acquisition from Colorado who is not currently named in the Mets top prospect list took the competition to heart.  He homered in the fifth inning and made an incredible superman dive snag of a liner down the third base line to garner player of the game honors.  His response to the competition: “bring it on”!

I also saw some promising signs from JT Schwartz, who is just coming off a stint on the injured list.  During his time off, he did not misplace that sweet swing that won him a batting title in the PAC 12.  Schwartz had a pair of doubles on his way to a 3-for-4 night, and also impressed me with some Keith Hernandez like range at first base.  He went far to his right on a hard ground ball and transitioned to a smooth throw to second for a fielder’s choice that ended an inning.  

There is far more to tell about this team and the exciting players on the roster.  Stay tuned for more on this club and if you are in the area, a trip to Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton NY should be on your must-do list!