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

Monday, September 25, 2023 • 6:05 PM
Mirabito Stadium • Binghamton, New York
RHP Wilmer Flores (5-3, 3.90 ERA) vs. RHP Blade Tidwell (3-3, 4.72 ERA)
MiLB.TV

September is the new October. While the New York Mets may have missed out on the playoffs, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A) face-off against the Erie SeaWolves for the Eastern League Championship.

The Rumble Ponies were the second seed in the Eastern League’s North Division, and upset the powerhouse Somerset Patriots to advance to the championship series. The SeaWolves faced the evenly-matched second seeded Richmond Flying Squirrels in the Eastern League’s South Division and defeated them to advance as well.

Rumble Ponies Lineup

Blade Tidwell has been named the starter for Game 1 of the three-game championship series. Tidwell is the Mets’ ninth-overall prospect (MLB.com), but has struggled since moving up to Double-A.

He has a 4.72 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 34 1/3 innings pitched with Binghamton, which is significantly higher than his 3.09 ERA and 1.240 WHIP at High-A. Despite the struggles, Tidwell still maintains a 10.8 K/9 rate in Double-A.

Tidwell has never faced the SeaWolves in his career.

SeaWolves Lineup

The SeaWolves announced right-handed pitcher Wilmer Flores as their starter for Monday. Flores is the Tigers’ seventh-overall prospect (MLB.com) and stands at a towering six-foot-four.

Despite his presence, his fastball sits in the lower 90s and he’s not a strikeout pitcher. Flores instead relies upon an arsenal that includes a fastball, cutter, changeup, and curveball, the latter being his signature off-speed pitch. The curve sits in the lower 70s and generates whiffs and ground balls.

Earlier in the year, Flores was the Tigers’ third-overall prospect and No. 83 in all of baseball. The Rumble Ponies got a taste of Flores on July 20, where he struck out seven batters across five innings pitched.

Only two Rumble Ponies remain from when Flores pitched. Here is how they hit:

Game Notes

The Rumble Ponies are in the Eastern League Playoffs for the first time since 2017, where they lost to the Trenton Thunder in the semifinals. The Rumble Ponies haven’t won the Eastern League Championship since 2014, which is also the last time they won the league.

The Eastern League Championship Series will star some big names on both sides. The SeaWolves roster six of the Tigers’ top-30 prospects, including Jace Jung who is the No. 67 overall prospect (MLB.com). The Rumble Ponies roster ten of the Mets’ top-30 prospects, including Luisangel Acuña (No. 38), Drew Gilbert (No. 57), Jett Williams (No. 78), and Kevin Parada (No. 89), all of whom are top-100 prospects.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Blade Tidwell. Monday’s start is easily the most important outing of Blade Tidwell’s career. The matchup will be tough for the Mets’ top prospect, as the SeaWolves were the second hardest team to strikeout in the Eastern League this season. Tidwell has a 10.8 K/9 rate in Double-A and a 12.4 K/9 rate in High-A.
  2. Future Stars. The Rumble Ponies currently roster four of the Mets’ top five prospects and four top-100 prospects. Acuña, Gilbert, Williams, and Parada are a special group and are the next wave of exciting position players heading towards Queens.
  3. Jace Jung. Baseball runs in the Jung family. Jace is the younger brother of Josh Jung of the Texas Rangers and is the fourth-overall prospect in the Tigers system. He slashed .282/.373/.563 (.936 OPS) with 14 home runs in 47 games with Erie.