Now that the 2021 season is over, Minor League Mondays will take a look at each of the New York Mets’ minor league affiliates over the next several weeks. This series will take a look at each affiliate’s season highlights, top prospects, interesting promotions, and more. We continue our climb up the ladder today with a look at the Binghamton Rumble Ponies of the AA Northeast League.
Minor League Mondays Affiliate Review: Binghamton Rumble Ponies
2021 Record: 47-60, Fourth Place in Northeast League’s Northeast Division
Story: The 2021 season was a fun one for fans of the Rumble Ponies, who were happy to have a team after rumors started circulating that the Mets’ long-time AA affiliate could be left in the cold as a result of the minor league re-alignment. The on-field performance wasn’t exactly an ideal one for Binghamton, which went just 47-60 to finish 19 games back of first place in the Northeast Division. A late-season COVID outbreak also led to the cancellation of eight games, meaning the Rumble Ponies got a lot less development time than some of the organization’s other affiliates. It was a challenging year for manager Lorenzo Bundy but the Mets did see some of their top prospects spend time with Binghamton in 2021, which was a positive.
Top Promotion:
It’s always fun to bring the dogs out to the ballpark and the Rumble Ponies celebrated Bark in the Park on Saturday, June 12. Fans with dogs could buy tickets to take in the game with their four-legged friends in Sections 113 and 109 while the Sombrero Jacks concession stand offered a deal that included two hot dogs, fries and a dog treat for people attending in the Bark in the Park sections.
Top Prospects:
3B Brett Baty: Baty, the Mets’ first-round pick in 2019, started the year with Brooklyn before earning a mid-season promotion to Binghamton. In 40 games for the Rumble Ponies, Baty hit .272 with five home runs and 22 RBI’s, showing that he was capable of handling the advanced pitching at that level. MLB.com has Baty ranked as the Mets’ second-best prospect and he should begin next year with Binghamton before moving up to AAA Syracuse by mid-season.
3B Mark Vientos: Vientos, the Mets’ second-round pick in 2017, had a breakthrough year with Binghamton. In 72 games for the Rumble Ponies, Vientos batted .281 with 22 home runs and 59 RBI’s along with a .927 OPS, earning himself a late-season promotion to AAA Syracuse. MLB.com has Vientos rated as the Mets’ sixth-best prospect and he should begin next year with Syracuse, just one step away from contributing to the big league roster.
OF Carlos Cortes: Cortes, the Mets’ third-round pick in 2018 out of South Carolina, had a solid year with the Rumble Ponies. In 79 games for Binghamton, Cortes batted .257 with 14 home runs and 57 RBI’s. Currently rated as the Mets’ 10th-best prospect according to MLB.com, Cortes is Rule V eligible this offseason and could be taken if he isn’t added to the Mets’ 40-man roster. Assuming Cortes remains in the organization, he should start 2022 with AAA Syracuse and have a chance to crack the big club later in the season as a utility man off the bench.
Check back next week as our Minor League Mondays Affiliate Review Series continues to climb the ladder with a look at the AAA Syracuse Mets!
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