Binghamton Rumble Ponies

From BR Bullpen

Binghamton Rumble Ponies.png

Team History[edit]

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, of the Double-A Eastern League and briefly in Double-A Northeast, narrowly survived MLB's 2021 Minor League Reorganization. The New York Mets farmhands play their home games at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton, NY.

They were on the original elimination list, but when the Mets were sold their new owner re-signed the Ponies. That plus an already planned 2019 multimillion-dollar renovation to their aging ballpark literally kept them in the game.

Greater Binghamton had baseball as early as 1877, this franchise since 1992, when the big Mets moved the recently purchased Williamsport Bills here as the Binghamton Mets.

The big club soon sold the farm club to local owners. The majority owner who called the affiliation "our most treasured asset" in 2010 made three deals to sell the team in the next five years. The first two would have caused the B-Mets to move but never closed. The 2015-2016 off-season sale that finally closed kept the club in town and with the Mets, but the new owner changed the nickname before the 2017 season. "Rumble Ponies" refers to wooden horses on merry-go-rounds in a city that bills itself The Carousel Capital of World. The club sold again in late 2021, but this new owner immediately allayed any worries of a move by signing a 23-year stadium lease extension.

Heisman Trophy Winner and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow homered on the first pitch he saw as a 2018 Pony - his third first-day homer in four levels - and made the EL All-Star team before a season-ending hand injury. As had been true throughout Tebow's brief professional baseball odyssey, in what became known as "The Tebow Effect," the Ponies thoroughly outdrew their normal attendance while he was with them.

The EL was founded in Binghamton in 1923.

The Ponies play Copa de la Diversión Hispanic engagement campaign games as Cóndores de Binghamton (Binghamton Condors).

Year-by-Year Record[edit]

Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs Hitting coach Pitching coach Coach
2017 85-54 2nd Luis Rojas Lost in 1st round Val Pascucci Glenn Abbott
2018 64-76 9th Luis Rojas Val Pascucci Frank Viola Luis Rivera
2019 67-73 8th Kevin Boles Tony Jaramillo Jonathan Hurst Ender Chavez
2020 Season cancelled
2021 47-60 9th Lorenzo Bundy Bruce Fields Jonathan Hurst Joe Raccuia
2022 53-83 11th Reid Brignac Tommy Joseph Jerome Williams Mariano Duncan
2023 74-61 2nd Reid Brignac Lost League Finals Darin Everson A.J. Sager Mariano Duncan, Jeremy Cologna
2024 Reid Brignac Darin Everson A.J. Sager Mariano Duncan, Juan Loyo

Further Reading[edit]

  • Michael Clair: "The Binghamton Mets have changed their name to the fearsome Rumble Ponies", "Cut 4", mlb.com, November 3, 2016. [1]

Related Sites[edit]