STEVE SICA - Can Binghamton Turn a Record Season Into a Championship?

Binghamton celebrates winning the EL Northeast Division Championship

By, Steve Sica

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies ride into the Eastern League playoffs coming off the best regular season in their history.

For the first time, the Rumble Ponies won 90 games, finishing 90–46 and capturing both the first- and second-half Eastern League Northeast Division championships. They finished 18 games ahead of their first-round opponent, the Somerset Patriots, and six games clear of the next-best team in the league, the Erie SeaWolves.

Binghamton will meet Somerset in the opening round as the Rumble Ponies chase their first Eastern League title since 2014. It’ll be a Subway Series, Eastern League style, as the Patriots are the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate. Here’s how the Ponies stack up as they begin their playoff push tonight in Somerset.

Nearly every top Mets prospect spent time in Binghamton this season. Names like Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, Ryan Clifford, Jett Williams, and Carson Benge helped the team set a record number of wins. Now the roster is led by A.J. Ewing, Jacob Reimer, and Nick Morabito.

Ewing was promoted in mid-August from High-A Brooklyn, and much like he’s done all season, all he does is hit. In 27 games with Binghamton, he’s batting .342 with seven doubles, two triples, and 12 stolen bases. He enters the playoffs hot, hitting .311 in September and reaching base in eight of his first ten games this month.

Reimer is arguably the most improved prospect in the Mets’ system. After dominating with Brooklyn, he was promoted to Binghamton in June. In 60 games, he’s batting .280 with an .859 OPS, nine home runs, 38 RBIs, and 14 doubles. Following the promotions of Benge and Clifford, Reimer has taken over as the team’s power bat. He had a scorching August, batting .345 with a 1.077 OPS, five home runs, and 19 RBIs.

Morabito has been with Binghamton all season and has been their most consistent hitter, batting .273 with a .733 OPS. He leads the current roster with 59 RBIs and wreaked havoc on the basepaths, swiping 49 bases. The Rumble Ponies will rely on their blend of power and speed to get past Somerset, a team they defeated in the first round of the Eastern League playoffs two years ago.

Pitching has been the Rumble Ponies’ greatest strength. They led the Eastern League in ERA (2.96), strikeouts (1,435), WHIP (1.11), and opponent batting average (.207). Tong spent most of his 2025 season in Binghamton, while McLean anchored the staff during the first half. Now, pitchers like Jack Wenninger are leading the charge.

Wenninger is the undisputed ace, posting a 12–6 record with a 2.92 ERA. Drafted by the Mets in the sixth round in 2023, he has quickly risen into one of the organization’s best pitching prospects. He’s coming off the longest outing of his career on September 10, when he went eight innings and allowed just one run with no walks in a win over Portland.

Jonathan Santucci has thrived since his mid-July promotion. In 50 innings, he’s recorded a 2.52 ERA with a perfect 4–0 record. He finished the season strong, posting a 0.82 ERA in September and setting a career high with 11 strikeouts against New Hampshire on August 15. Together, Wenninger and Santucci form a lethal one-two punch at the top of the rotation in the best-of-three playoff series.

Out of the bullpen, Ryan Lambert has arguably been the Mets’ best relief prospect this season. He’s been nearly untouchable against Eastern League hitters. In 39 appearances, Lambert has a 1.71 ERA with 64 strikeouts and six saves. Drafted in the seventh round in 2024, he has been a key piece of the bullpen, locking down leads and keeping the Ponies in games late.

The Rumble Ponies have been the best, and arguably the most entertaining team to watch in the Mets’ system in 2025. The last time Binghamton won an Eastern League championship, they were still known as the B-Mets, with players like Steven Matz, Brandon Nimmo, and Dilson Herrera leading the way. This year’s club is, by record, the best in franchise history, and even after losing several top prospects to promotion, they remain the favorites heading into the EL playoffs. Game on for the rest of the Eastern League starting tonight.