Minors Weekly Report: Binghamton on Brink of Elimination

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies won their division series matchup against the Somerset Patriots, sweeping in two games to advance to the championship series against the Erie SeaWolves. Binghamton played the first game of the series on Monday and suffered a lopsided loss, so they need to win each of the next two games to claim the championship. One more loss will eliminate them.

Jacob Reimer. Photo by Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets finished out their season with a series win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The Mets won four of six games, including a 9-0 victory in the final game of the year. Syracuse missed out on the postseason despite their 46-29 second-half record. They finished 77-73 overall.

Carson Benge had an excellent final week of the season, going 7-for-21 with a triple, two home runs, four walks, and a stolen base. Benge recorded five RBIs and three runs scored. Benge’s strong week to finish the season was encouraging, as he ends the year with just a .583 OPS in 24 Triple-A games. He was, however, named the Mets’ minor league player of the year by the organization.

Jett Williams also finished the season strong, going 7-for-26 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, and a walk. Williams recorded four RBIs and five runs. Williams had a bit more success than Benge at the Triple-A level, finishing with a .718 OPS in 34 games.

Luke Ritter also stood out at the plate, going 7-for-16 with two home runs, four RBIs, and four runs scored. Ritter had a down year in Triple-A, recording a surprising .697 OPS with just 11 home runs.

Jonathan Pintaro made two excellent starts for Syracuse in their final series. He combined to throw nine innings, allowing just one run on five hits and three walks. Pintaro also struck out 12. He ultimately struggled in 17 appearances (five starts) with Syracuse to the tune of a 5.22 ERA.

Justin Hagenman finished the season on a strong note, recording five scoreless innings (one unearned run allowed) in his last start. He allowed six hits and three walks while striking out four, finishing his year with a 5.58 ERA in Syracuse.

Luis Moreno also had a shutdown start, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings on two hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. Moreno recorded a 6.58 ERA in 10 appearances (one start) in Syracuse.

Jett Williams. Photo by Kylie Richelle

Double-A

With the Rumble Ponies having played three postseason games to this point, here are the players who have stood out most:

SS William Lugo: .444/.545/.667/1.212, 2 2B, 2 BB, 4 R
2B Wyatt Young: .500/.636/.500/1.136, 3 BB, 2 RBI, 1 SB
RHP Jack Wenninger: 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 9 K

They play Erie again Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. (Will Watson starting), and if they win, play Wednesday.

Jack Wenninger. Photo by Kylie Richelle

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones won the South Atlantic League title with a 2-1 victory last Tuesday. The Cyclones went 4-0 in the postseason, sweeping the Greensboro Grasshoppers in the division round and the Hub City Spartanburgers in the championship round.

In the championship-clinching game, the Cyclones took a 2-0 lead in the third and never gave the lead up. Here is who stepped up in that game:

SS Marco Vargas: 1-for-3, BB, RBI, R, K
DH Matt Rudick: 1-for-4, RBI, K
C Ronald Hernandez: 2-for-3, BB, K
LF John Bay: 1-for-4, 3B, R, K
RHP Franklin Gomez: 4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K
RHP Hoss Brewer: 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, S

Marco Vargas. Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK/BNG) – .315

OPS – Carson Benge (BRK/BNG/SYR) – .857

HR – Ryan Clifford (BNG/SYR) – 29

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK/BNG) – 70

Pitching

ERA – Jonah Tong (BNG/SYR) – 1.43

SO – Jonah Tong (BNG/SYR) – 179

WHIP – Zach Thornton (BRK/BNG) – 0.812

Players of the Week

Offense – Carson Benge, OF Syracuse

Carson Benge had been the Mets’ best minor league bat all year until his promotion to Syracuse. His bat cooled off, but he flew through the system and finished his last week in Syracuse on a high note. Whether or not he starts the year in the big leagues in 2026, he’s a prime candidate to help that squad out at some point next year.

Pitching – Jack Wenninger, P Binghamton

Jack Wenninger pitched arguably his best game of the year in the game that sent the Rumble Ponies to their league championship. He allowed just two baserunners and struck out nine over six dominant innings. He’s been phenomenal all year and he now owns a 2.80 ERA in 27 starts, including his latest gem in the postseason.