2023 was somewhat of a magical season for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, who increased their win total by 21 from the year prior and made it to the Eastern League Champion Series. They didn’t win it all, but it was certainly a season to be proud of. Manager Reid Brignac is back for his third season at the helm, and he has plenty of exciting players to work with in 2024.

Let’s preview the 2024 season for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, which includes eight of the Mets Minors’ top 30 prospects.

Blade Tidwell, Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Pitchers (15)

The pitching staff in Binghamton is filled with exciting young arms. Among the starters are Tyler Stuart and Blade Tidwell, two of the Mets’ best pitching prospects. Stuart is currently ranked by MMO as the no. 21 prospect in the system, while Tidwell is higher on the list at no. 12. Both pitchers had great success between Brooklyn and Binghamton a season ago, and Stuart was especially impressive.

Some of the other pitchers on the roster with starting experience are Cameron Foster, Troy Miller, Luis Moreno, Junior Santos, and Joander Suárez. In 2023, each of these pitchers started more than half the games they appeared in, but each of them, minus Miller, who only made one appearance all year, appeared in relief at least a couple of times. They all had shaky seasons, though Suárez threw 18 innings without allowing a run and tossed a 7-inning no-hitter after being called up from Brooklyn. The rotation has the potential to be really good, but the bottom half of it will need to step up.

Binghamton’s bullpen will be headlined by Paul Gervase, who is MMO’s 30th-ranked Mets prospect. He had a fantastic year in 2023 between Brooklyn and Binghamton, where he combined for a 2.05 ERA in 57 innings pitched. Other names to keep an eye on are Daniel Juarez, who had a 2.37 ERA in 57 innings between Brooklyn and Binghamton; Trey McLoughlin, who had a 2.79 ERA in 51 2/3 innings between Brooklyn and Binghamton; and Wilkin Ramos, who had a 2.50 ERA in 57 2/3 innings between Brooklyn and Binghamton. Rounding out the bullpen are Nolan Clenney, Carlos Guzman, Hunter Parsons, and Andre Scrubb.

Kevin Parada, Photos by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Catchers (2)

2024 is a huge year for Kevin Parada. The 2022 first round pick of the Mets is our no. 8 prospect in the system, but he hasn’t completely lived up to expectations. Offensively, he had a pretty solid year in Brooklyn last year with a .787 OPS, but he finished on a down note with a .639 OPS in 14 games in Binghamton. He also played in the Arizona Fall League following last season, where he struggled more to the tune of a .611 OPS.

To make things worse, Parada has really struggled behind the plate early in his career. In 2023, he caught just 18% of runners who attempted to steal a base. For context, the major league average for caught stealing percentage tends to hover right around 30%. Parada was well below that mark in 2023, prompting questions about his future at the position. He’ll need to demonstrate improvement both offensively and defensively if he wants to be considered part of the Mets’ future.

Backing up Parada will be Hayden Senger, who is poor offensively, but he did nab 31% of runners attempting to steal a base last season. The strong defender will spell Parada occasionally behind the plate.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Infielders (6)

Headlining this group of infielders is none other than Jett Williams, our no. 1 prospect in the Mets’ system. He’s ranked at the top by a number of publications, including MLB Pipeline, which also ranks him as the No. 43 prospect in all of baseball. Williams’ calling cards are his eye and his speed, as he walked over 100 times and stole 45 bases last year. He was phenomenal in Low-A and High-A and was called up to Binghamton late in the season, but he struggled in just six games played. He’s the undisputed best player on the team, and he’s repeatedly said he wants to make the major league team in 2024.

Jeremiah Jackson is another notable name on the roster. Our 26th-ranked Mets prospect was acquired at the trade deadline from the Angels for Dominic Leone, and he had a solid half-season with Binghamton in 2023. He recorded an .802 OPS with the club and hit seven home runs in 37 games. He also played several positions, including second base, third base, shortstop, and both corner outfield positions.

Rounding out the infield are Rowdey Jordan, Jose Peroza, JT Schwartz, and Wyatt Young. Schwartz had the best 2023 season among the group, recording a .302 batting average and .819 OPS in Binghamton. He only hit four home runs in 66 games, a pretty atypical lack of power for a first baseman, but his hit tool more than makes up for it. Jordan (.733 OPS) and Peroza (.746) had average seasons with Binghamton in 2023, while Young had a brutal go of it. The core infield of Williams, Jackson, Schwartz, Jordan, and Peroza offers a lot of defensive versatility and should be collectively great offensively as well.

Williams, Jackson, Schwartz, and Jordan also saw time in the outfield last year.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Outfielders (5)

Alex Ramírez, our 20th-ranked prospect, is the name most fans will recognize. One of the organization’s top prospects not too long ago, he fell off a cliff with an abysmal 2023 season in High-A Brooklyn. In 120 games and 520 plate appearances, he recorded just seven home runs, 53 RBIs, and a .627 OPS. He’s still just 21-years-old so there’s hope that he can turn it around, but he’ll have to be much more improved from a season ago. This will be his first action above High-A ball, so he needs to show that he belongs. The Mets did decide to add him to the 40-man roster during the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Matt Rudick is another notable name in the outfield, and he’s our 29th-ranked prospect in the Mets’ system. Rudick can play all three outfield spots but was mostly a left fielder in 2023. He put together a really strong season, recording nine home runs and 31 RBIs with a .862 OPS in 61 games in Binghamton. He has a fantastic eye, as he walked more than he struck out and had a .414 on-base percentage. In his three-year minor league career, he has ten fewer walks than strikeouts and a .383 OBP.

Brandon McIlwain, Joe Suozzi, and Rhylan Thomas round out the outfielders. Thomas had the best 2023, recording a slash line of .328/.407/.425/.832 across 91 games and three minor league levels. McIlwain and Suozzi both spent some time in Triple-A last season in addition to being in Binghamton. Suozzi had a couple of key hits for the Mets during big league camp this year.

Conclusion

There are some studs on this roster, with Jett Williams, Kevin Parada, Tyler Stuart, and Blade Tidwell leading the pack. The team graduated many of its main contributors from last year, such as Drew Gilbert, Dominic Hamel, and Christian Scott, but there’s no reason to believe this team can’t put together another successful season.

The rotation is headed by two really good pitchers but is otherwise one of the weaker groups on the team. If Joander Suárez can continue his phenomenal run from the end of last season, he would form a good trio with Stuart and Tidwell at the top.

You could argue that the bullpen is the strongest group on the team. It’s filled with guys who flat-out dominated last year, and Paul Gervase will again lead that charge. Even if the bottom half of the rotation struggles, the bullpen should be able to bail them out, considering there’s no major regression from multiple relievers.

The infield contains the best prospect in the Mets’ system and contains another top-30 prospect in Jeremiah Jackson. With Williams, Jackson, and Schwartz, that’s three good bats just in the infield alone. It would be a surprise if Williams stays the entire year in Binghamton, but as long as he’s there, this group will be just fine.

Rudick will lead the outfield and should continue to be an on-base machine. Rhylan Thomas will need to maintain his performance from last year, while the rest of the group needs to improve. There’s so much potential, especially with Ramírez, that another year of underperformance would be a massive disappointment.

The overall outlook for this team is positive. Its roster includes a bunch of really good players who will do what they do best and win a lot of baseball games that way. Will the Binghamton Rumble Ponies have the same success they had last year? Maybe not, but don’t be surprised if they make another run.