Paul Articulates – AA Ponies rumble into Binghamton

The MLB season has been underway for about a week, and now it is time for the minor league teams to begin their season.  Rosters have been announced for the Mets A, AA, and AAA affiliates and the teams have headed north to begin their preparation.  I was fortunate to be in attendance at the Binghamton Rumble Ponies media day and their “Meet the Rumble Ponies” dinner so there was an opportunity to meet the players and find out a few things about what Mets fans can expect from their AA club.

Second year manager Reid Brignac will guide the club again this year.  Last year was a bit of a struggle in terms of their won-lost record, but the Ponies had an important role in player development.  Five of last year’s players made it to the big leagues, including top prospects Brett Baty (11 games), and Francisco Alvarez (5 games).  Pitchers Jose Butto, Bryce Montez de Oca, and Nate Fisher all saw action as New York Mets.  Brignac also had the distinction of being selected to manage the Peoria team in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, so he is clearly recognized as a talented player developer.

Brignac met the media on Tuesday and answered some of their questions.

Q: What happens as you move from spring training to Binghamton?

RB: There are many moving parts in spring training – players are moving between squads from one day to the next.  Arrival in Binghamton represents the first time the guys are together that will do battle for the next 150 days.

Q: As you move into your second AA season as manager of the team, what do you bring forward?

RB: Experience I gained last year, knowing the league a little better as well.  This is a very competitive league and our team is going to be ready and prepared for it.

Q: As a former player having been through the process of working your way up to the major leagues, what can you take from your own experience to help these younger guys make it to the big leagues?

RB: You learn so much as you go through this process. The biggest thing is you need to take care of yourself physically and mentally, giving your body time to recover.  Develop a consistent routine - your daily preparation and knowing where you can push and when to dial back is very important.   From a mental aspect, I have an open door policy.  When someone is struggling, I want them to come talk with me because I have been through it and can help find ways they can get back to a positive mindset.

Q: Can you summarize what you saw from this team in spring training and what you expect them to bring this year?

RB: One of the big things I’m most excited about is the pitching and the defense.  We have a great starting rotation this year.  We’re coming with a lot of talent.  We have guys that know how to locate pitches; they’re competitive; they attack hitters.  It has been a good spring watching them compete.  Defensively, we have a lot of guys that really take care of the baseball.  My big emphasis is pitching and defense – if we can throw strikes and the defense can make player behind the pitcher, we will always be in a position to win more ballgames.

Q: The New York Mets organization has a renewed emphasis on player development.  As manager of the AA club, you play a big part in player evaluation and development.  What is the process for communicating with the organization on player development?

RB: It is very important to be consistent with the communication.  I talk to all the coordinators very often if not daily.  Everything we do on the field is run through them.  They know everything we are doing from scheduling to defensive work to batting practice.  Everything revolves around these players – what their goals are and the organization’s goals for them - that is the emphasis for what we do in practices and working with them.  But when the lights turn on and the lines are chalked, we’re going out there to win some baseball games.

As Brignac pointed out, the AA Mets have some very strong starting pitching as the featured players from recent drafts make their way up through the organization.  This year’s starting rotation will include players like Dominic Hamel (Mets #9 prospect), Mike Vasil (Mets #11 prospect), Junior Santos (Mets #19 prospect), and  Sammy Tavarez who is back from injury last year.  

We had an opportunity to hear from last year’s minor league pitcher of the year Dominic Hamel on Tuesday.  Hamel was one of the pitchers representing Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic this year so he has already had an opportunity to player with some major league talent; including Mets Francisco Lindor and Edwin Diaz.  Here is what he had to say:

Q: What is your mindset coming out of spring training?

DH: I’m in a great spot, feeling comfortable, my body is feeling good.  Coming back from the Classic and working with those guys I have a new mentality this year. I am not necessarily pitching to get to the big leagues anymore.  I am pitching like I am a big leaguer.  I feel like I belong there and that my stuff is good.  I’m ready to get out there and compete.

Q: Tell us about your WBC experience.

DH: It was unreal.  Being around those guys and that atmosphere, I feel almost like I have debuted already.  It was an immense atmosphere with the fans and those big stadiums and big moments.  It was important to see how the players prepared and how they responded in those big moments.  Being able to learn from them and pick their brain I feel I am coming back as a new player entirely.

Q: How are you improving physically? 

DH: Back in the off-season in Arizona I was working on my hip mobility.  I feel like that has translated very well into the games, as I ‘m throwing a little harder.  Trying to improve on the good trends and eliminate any bad ones.

Q: What have you been working on in your game?

DH: I am just working on filling it up with the changeup which I had not utilized as much in the past.  I feel like it is a good separator from the big slider and banger curveball. It’s something I can locate on the other side of the plate as another pitch with different movement that will get the hitters attention.

Q: What are your thoughts on the payment restructure for minor league players?

DH: I think that’s a huge step.  It’s crazy to look back at what happened before – guys with families that had smaller bonuses had a tough time keeping focused as they had to do what they could off the field to keep things going.  What they have been able to do has been very exciting to set things up for down the road.

There was also an opportunity to talk with JT Schwartz, who is the Mets’ fourth round draft pick from 2021.  Schwartz won a PAC-12 batting title as an all-American with UCLA.  He played 25 games with St. Lucie after being drafted and then spent the full season with the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2022 batting .273.

Q: What do you see as the challenges in front of you in AA and how did you prepare?

JTS: As you move up, guys have better stuff and control things a little better.  I think that playing with the guys in spring training and pick guy’s brains on their approach is helpful.  At the end of the day it’s the same game you have been playing for a while but the talent keeps getting elevated.

Q: In your experience at spring training backing up the big league games, who are some of the people who have helped you already?

JTS: Watching the pitchers on that staff, it’s incredible to see the arms they have.  We also have great hitters like Alonso, McNeil, Nimmo, even Vogelbach.  They have good clubhouse guys, good leaders.  Just seeing how they approach the game, how they prepare.  They are people just like you and I and they keep things light, just playing ball.

Q: What is your message to the fans?

We’re here to win.  We have a great group in that clubhouse.  We have a lot of talent and a great coaching staff.  We’re ready to go out there and compete.

That’s a wrap on the early season introductions.  The team is stoked for a competitive season and every player is putting in the time to improve their skills as part of their journey to realize the ultimate dream – playing in the major leagues.  I will provide frequent updates on how that journey is going and include some additional insights into the players and their development.