Buttressed by late-season acquisitions, the 2023 Binghamton Rumble Ponies rode a 39-27 second-half record to advance to the Eastern League Championship Series. Though the Erie Seawolves cut their magical season short in the championship, the prospect-laden Binghamton squad made it a fun season to follow the squad.

Dominic Hamel, Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies

The trio of Drew Gilbert, Luisangel Acuña ,and Jeremiah Jackson jolted the lineup’s offense midseason while Jett Williams and Kevin Parada each held their own in their first taste in Double-A. On he mound, the quintet of Christian Scott, Dominic Hamel, Tyler Stuart, Mike Vasil, and Blade Tidwell each impressed during their time with the club. At the end of the season, Binghamton’s roster held four of the club’s five prospects on MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospect List.

In the first half, the storyline around Binghamton revolved around the club’s starting pitching. In their last few drafts, the Mets targeted college pitching, a strategy that began to pay dividends this season. Binghamton’s Opening Day Roster held Mike Vasil and Dominic Hamel, a devasting one-two punch. Both pitchers made their Double-A debut this season, with Vasil climbing all the way to Triple-A by year’s end. Quality arms, like Hunter Parsons, Marcel Renteria, and Dedniel Núñez, rounded out the club’s pitching staff.

The club tallied towards a 35-34 first-half record, finishing fourth in the division, seven-and-a-half games behind the first-place Somerset Patriots.

Their second half started on an auspicious note, losing three out of five to the eventual fifth-place Hartford Yard Goats, but the direction of the club quickly changed. Once the Major League club charted its path to sell at the deadline, the club soon began to amass depth among pitchers and position players.

The state of the pitching staff, a strength already, quickly molded into the organization’s top group of arms. Vasil received a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse after ten effective starts in Double-A, posting a 3.88 ERA.  Their pitching got a midseason boost with the summer promotions of Scott, Stuart, and Tidwell.

Despite coming into the season with little fanfare, Scott finished his year with a 2.57 ERA/ 0.865 WHIP across three levels. His start on August 12th was particularly impressive; he hurled six and a third effective frames against a potent Somerset lineup, showcasing a quality fastball/slider combination.

A similar situation evolved with Stuart. The 23-year-old right-hander came into the campaign with relatively little fanfare, a byproduct of being selected in the 6th round in the 2022 draft. Despite his middling selection, Stuart kicked off his campaign with arguably the strongest start in Minor League Baseball, posting a 1.62 ERA over his first 16 starts.

Tidwell, a potential first-rounder early in 2022, lasted until the 52nd pick, where the Mets were all too happy to pick him up. He started with Brooklyn but made his way to Binghamton by late summer.

Meanwhile, the offensive underwent a rapid shift. The trio of Gilbert, Acuña, and Jackson deepened the lineup to a potent starting nine. Acquired in the deal for Justin Verlander, Gilbert arrived with major fanfare and lived up to it, slashing  .325/.423/.561. Gilbert’s time with the organization quickly rocketed him up top prospect rankings; he currently slots in at No.52 on MLB’s Top 100 prospects list.

While not displaying the same offensive prowess as Gilbert at Double-A, Acuña made his presence well-known, wreaking havoc throughout the basepaths. While his elder brother, Ronald, was en route to his own 40HR-70SB season, the brothers made a bet on who could steal the most bags by season’s end. Luisangel finished 16 short of his brother’s mark of 73.

Jackson, sent to the Mets in exchange for Dominic Leone in the last-minute deadline trade, saw his stock shoot up during his 37 games in Binghamton. He served as the club’s No.5 hitter, slashing .264/.344/.457. The 23-year-old is Rule Five eligible this season and will force the Mets to make a 40-man roster choice in the coming months.

To augment their lineup during their playoff push, the organization sent two of Brooklyn’s top performers to Binghamton: shortstop Jett Williams and catcher Kevin Parada. Fresh off a .299/.451/.567 slash-line with the Cyclones in his first professional season, the 19-year-old Williams displayed a keen eye at the plate in his time with Binghamton, walking 20.4% percentage of the time. He was the first teenager to cross 100 walks in a season since 2005. Their promotion resulted in four of the organization’s top five prospects sharing the same lineup.

Their top prospects aside, Binghamton received contributions all through their roster. Paul Gervase broke out of nowhere to serve as the club’s linchpin in the late innings, striking out a ridiculous 18.0 K/9  in his first taste of Double-A ball. Joander Suarez, Wilkin Ramos, and Benito Garcia each emerged as forces in the bullpen to solidify the backend.

With the lineup augmented and quality pitching deep, Binghamton’s second-half 39-27 record earned them the second playoff spot in the Northeastern division of the Eastern League. In the Double-A edition of the Subway Series, Binghamton made quick work of the Somerset Patriots, outscoring them 11-2 in their best-of-three series. With Scott on the hill, the Mets rode a six-run fourth to quickly grab a 1-0 series lead. In Game 2, Hamel shoved for 7 2/3 innings, holding the Patriots to five baserunners and helping the club advance to their first championship series since 2014.His start represented the pinnacle of his exceptional second half; over his last nine starts, the right-hander posted a 1.88 ERA.

With the victory, Rumble Ponies advanced to face the Erie Seawolves in the finals.  Despite some theatrics by Gilbert, the club wasn’t able to hoist the club’s first championship since 2014, falling in both Game 1 and 2.

Overall, the season represented a success, not only for the organization but for many of the players who wore the jersey. Multiple pitchers broke out to serve as legitimate Major League options in 2024. At the same time, many of Binghamton’s hitters successfully continued their offensive development. Next season, Ryan Clifford and Brandon Sproat should help augment the roster. With Acuña, Gilbert, Scott, and Williams among the top, young performers on the team, the 2023 Rumble Ponies’ squad, so far, represents the epitome of Steve Cohen’s promise to develop a strong farm system.