Eastern League Championship Series Preview: Binghamton Faces Erie

Update: Game 1 of the series was postponed due to inclement weather on Sunday. Game 1 will now be played on Monday, September 25. 

After defeating the Somerset Patriots 2-0 to clinch the Northeast Division, the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies are set to face the Erie Seawolves in the best-of-three Eastern League Championship. Blade Tidwell (3-3, 4.72 ERA) will get the ball for Game 1; first pitch is scheduled for 5:35 P.M. on Sunday.

Game 1 will take place at Binghamton while Games 2 and 3 will take place in Erie. They are currently scheduled to play on Tuesday, September 26th, and Wednesday, September 27th, respectively.

Binghamton has not won the championship since 2014, when Brandon Nimmo, Dilson Herrera, Travis Taijeron, Juan Lagares, and Jack Leathersich all contributed to their victory over the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

In the season series, Binghamton and Erie are tied with three wins apiece.

To advance, Reid Brignac‘s squad swept the Somerset Patriots, outscoring them 10-2 in their best-of-three set. In Game 1, a six-run fourth propelled the Rumble Ponies to a 9-2 win. Jett Williams had the big blow: a fourth-inning three-run homer worth +15.6 WPA (Win Probability Added). In Game 2, Dominic Hamel shoved, shutting down Somerset’s potent lineup over 7 2/3 innings. A Luisangel Acuña sacrifice fly and a Hayden Senger solo shot was the only offense required as Paul Gervase closed out a tense 2-0 victory.

The 2023 squad was buttressed by midseason acquisitions and late-season promotions. In July, the Mets sent Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to Texas, receiving Luisangel Acuña and Drew Gilbert in return. Acuña and Gilbert led the team to a 39-27 second-half record, helping the team earn the second bid to the Eastern League playoffs in the process.

With the Brooklyn Cyclones’ season winding down, the organization also made the call to promote two of their top performers to Double-A: shortstop Jett Williams and backstop Kevin Parada. In 36 games with Brooklyn, Williams slashed .299/.451/.567 with seven home runs while Parada was good for a .265/.340./.447 slash line.

Roster Preview

Both rosters are well-represented on MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospect List.

Rumble Ponies

38. Luisangel Acuña
52. Drew Gilbert
78. Jett Williams
89. Kevin Parada

Erie Seawolves

54. Jackson Jobe
67. Jace Jung

From an offensive point-of-view, Binghamton has a clear advantage. A combination of Acuña, Williams, Gilbert, and Parada occupying the top-four slots in the lineup is the precursor of arguably the most potent and prospect-laden lineup in the minors. Gilbert and Acuña can each wreak havoc on the basepaths. The younger Acuña has an ongoing bet with his brother regarding year-end stolen bases totals. Ronald currently sits at 68, Luisangel 57.

Even with top-100 guys aside, the Rumble Ponies have a bevy of talent throughout their entire roster. Jeremiah Jackson, who grew up in the same hometown as Cleon Jones and Tommie Agee, has blasted seven home runs to complement his .264/.344/.457 slash line since coming over in August in exchange for Dominic Leone. JT Schwartz, who had some of the best batted-ball metrics out of all 2020 draftees, holds an impressive .342/.434/.483 slash-line since coming off the IL with a revamped swing in August.

Binghamton’s right-hand pitchers Christian Scott, Dominic Hamel, and Blade Tidwell represent the next wave of young starting pitcher talent to be soon arriving in Queens. The trio have combined for a 3.00 ERA since August 1. Meanwhile, Paul Gervase and his 15.2 K/9 have helped fortify the back-end of the bullpen while another reliever Wilkin Ramos has intriguing metrics on his breaking balls, which drove MMO’s own Colby Morris to recently take a deep dive.

The Seawolves are fronted by their Big Three in Jackson Jobe, Wilmer Flores, and Ty Madden. However, given inning constraints, the Tigers have shut down Jobe until the 2023 AFL and thus, the dazzling right-hander will not face Binghamton in the championship series. Madden closed out the Seawolves’ Game 2 victory against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, hurling 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball.

On the offensive side, the Tigers are buoyed by Jung, the 12th overall pick in 2022’s MLB draft and the younger brother of Rangers’ third-baseman Josh Jung. Former Met Luis Santana, who was included in the J.D. Davis trade, is the Seawolves’ starting second baseman.

Quick Game 1 Preview:

Blade Tidwell (3-3, 4.72 ERA) will toe the rubber against RHP Wilmer Flores (5-3, 3.90 ERA) in Game 1 tonight. It can be freely viewed at Bally Live and MiLB.tv and listened to on News Radio 1290.

Acuña was hit in the face with a pitch in Game 1 of their first series, but was leading off two days later in Game 2. Parada was held out of the lineup in Game 2 after getting hit on the leg by a pitch. It remains to be seen if he will be in the lineup today.