Paul Articulates – Speaking with the Rumble Ponies’ new manager

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies held their media day on Tuesday so I had the opportunity to speak with their new manager Michael Collins and two of their top prospects.

Michael Collins came to the Mets this season after spending the past eight seasons in the Houston Astros organization.  He is a former player, having spent time in both Australian baseball and in the US with the Padres.  His most recent experience was as the catching coach for the Houston Astros. 

He has a diverse coaching background which includes managing in the minor leagues and coaching the Australian WBC team in three different tournaments including the recently completed 2026 event.  

Collins spent a few weeks with the Mets in St. Lucie during spring training and a few weeks with the WBC team.  He arrived in Binghamton just a few days ago filled with enthusiasm to start the season.  Here is his interview:

Q: Coming from another top development organization (Astros), what are your first impressions of the Mets’ organization?

Collins: My first impression is that this is an incredible opportunity coming in.  I saw the success they had as an organization last year. I am excited to join.  It is very much a player-first mentality.  We are trying to develop them as individuals as well as improving them as players.  I am excited to be part of that.

Q: As a follow-up, the Mets have some very impressive technology in St. Lucie.  Have they installed anything similar here in Binghamton?

Collins: Yes.  We have quite a lot of technology available here as well.  Just about everything they have in Florida is available here though maybe not as visible.  They are constantly monitoring to help the players in any way possible.

Q: What should the people from Binghamton know about you?

Collins: One thing you should know about me is I don’t like the cold. [laughter] Born and raised in Austrailia, in the US for the last 26 years.

Q: Having seen what this team has accomplished in the last couple of years, what’s your mindset as you begin this year with a new team?

Collins: Excited!  There is a great bunch of players here on a team that had incredible success last year.  They finished off last year winning a championship, so hopefully we can get off to a good start again this year.

Q: What similarities or differences do you bring to this organization?

Collins: I don’t see too many differences, so let’s speak about the similarities.  One thing I truly believe is that the game is about the players and we try to put their best interests first and hopefully watch their careers take off.

Q: What can you tell us about the team’s approach this year?

Collins: An exciting team with some opportunities to steal some bases and also enough power to drive the ball out of the ballpark.  It looks like a well rounded team with the opportunity to win in different ways.  It is important for these players to understand that at the major league level there are lots of different ways to win a ball game.

Q: Although the roster hasn’t yet been released, it looks like there are a lot of return players and veterans that will be here judging from who is on the Syracuse roster.

Collins: Ultimately, good organizations have good players that get held back a bit, but everywhere you play there is an opportunity to showcase your skill set.

Q: Your roster should have strong starting pitching, include four of the top 20 prospects in the Mets organization right now.  Have you decided on a rotation yet and can you share it?

Collins: I can’t share it at this time.  I have not yet gotten confirmation as there are still players arriving here.  We will have to make sure everyone is here and healthy to go.  I’m not trying to hide anything, but we don’t want to jump past the release.  With all this talent, it is a very good problem to have.

My first impressions of Michael Collins are that he is very personable, very confident, and extremely enthusiastic about managing within the Mets' organization.  He has a player-first mindset, which is critical in building the relationships needed to teach young prospects how to best position themselves for success in professional baseball.  He should be a great fit for this team.