Paul Articulates – A season summary on the AA Rumble Ponies

The 2026 Eastern League season ended yesterday for the Rumble Ponies in an un-ceremonial fashion.  They were rained out and the game will not be made up.  This concluded their season with a 61-76 record.

The season was marked by twists and turns as roster volatility (which is typical at this level) caused many different variations in the lineup.  

Let’s look at how much the lineups changed.

On day 1, the Ponies fielded a team that included AJ Ewing, who ended up spending most of the season in MLB.  It also included JT Schwartz, Matt Rudick, and Wyatt Young, who have since been released.  Others spent a majority of the season in Binghamton with occasional trips up and down, like Eli Serrano, Kevin Parada, Marco Vargas, Bryce Conley, and Calos Guzman.

On day 137, the Ponies started guys like Mitch Voit, Jacob Reimer, Chris Suero, John Bay, and Eddison Paulino.

As in any minor league season, the emphasis is on development, and when it is going well there are promotional opportunities, and when it is not, there are less pleasant remedies.

On the positive side, some players made their push to the upside:

1) AJ Ewing played 18 games in AA, batting .349 with a 1.052 OPS.  He was promoted to Syracuse (AAA) where he spent another dozen games hitting .326 with a .827 OPS.  He then moved to Queens where he spent the rest of the season establishing himself as part of the future for the New York Mets.

2) Zac Thornton started game four for the Binghamton team, and now he has shocked just about everyone (except himself) with how well he has performed against MLB hitters.  Thornton was always recognized as a guy with potential, but he burst on the scene with the big club in early May and currently holds a 3.44 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.

3) Nick Lorusso began the season in Binghamton without any billing as a top prospect.  Sometimes you have to see to believe, and after 84 games in AA with 19 HR and 55 RBI, the Mets brass believed, and promoted him to Syracuse.  His slugging dipped a little there, but I am still high on the kid from my hometown of Monroe, CT.

4) Jeffrey Yan began the season as a AA reliever, and eventually found his way to Citi Field to the delight of Mets fans (but no one following the opposing teams).  His final leap landed back in Syracuse, but he has the potential to return to Flushing if he masters his control.

Also on the positive side, many of the new acquisitions at the trade deadline made their debut on the Binghamton roster, and have been very helpful to the development system:

1) Number one Mets prospect Jefferson Rojas has shown some positional versatility in the infield, a great eye, and disciplined bat control at the plate. Since arriving, he has posted a slash line of .280/.336/.593 with 29 RBI in 29 games.

2) Emilien Pitre took off like a rocket.  He spent 10 full games in Binghamton before being promoted to Syracuse. A .375 batting average will do that.  Since being in Syracuse he has been a little cooler, but a .279 average and .380 OPS in AAA when you started in high A ball is quite an accomplishment.  Look for much more from Pitre.

3) Billy Amick found his power this year.  Between the AA teams in Wichita (Twins) and Binghamton, he hit 30 HR and drove in 94 runs in 98 games.  Then he was promoted to Syracuse where he hit another 8 dingers in 19 games.  Although his swing still needs refinement to avoid being exploited by the most talented of MLB pitchers, Amick seems like a strong candidate to spend spring training with the big club showing what he can do.

4) Big Gabe Davis came to Binghamton via the White Sox trade, and established his imposing presence with the Rumble Ponies.  Davis was good for a 1-1 record, a 2.53 ERA, and 24 strikeouts in 21 innings.  More to come from this prospect.

5) Gary Gill Hill pitched his high school ball in Somers, NY which made his Binghamton starts feel like home.  Gill Hill struck out 28 and walked only 5 batters in 26 innings with the Ponies, ending up with a 2-0 record.  That looked so good that the Mets promoted him to finish the year in Syracuse.

With the help of those five players and a few other rising stars like Marco Vargas and Mitch Voit, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies went on a late-season run and almost won the second half, which would have returned them to the Eastern League playoffs.  Unfortunately, the hill was just slightly too high to climb, and the team will have to watch from the sidelines.  

There was a lot of exciting talent passing through town this year, and there is no reason to expect less next year.  Stay tuned!