2026 Minor League Preview: Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Binghamton Rumble Ponies teammates celebrate winning the Eastern League baseball championship 8-2 over the Erie SeaWolves at UPMC Park in Erie on Sept. 24, 2025. | GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images First Half Record: 45-22 (1/6, Eastern League Northeast Division) Sec

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First Half Record: 45-22 (1/6, Eastern League Northeast Division)

Second Half Record: 45-24 (1/6 Eastern League Northeast Division)

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies began the season with a higher concentration of Mets top prospects than any other team in the system, beginning the year with Jett Williams, Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, Ryan Clifford, and Nick Morabito all rostered there. Their standout performances, combined with other farmhands stepping up, led the Rumble Ponies demolishing the division in the first

half. The team won the Eastern League Northeast division by 10.0 games over the Hartford Yard Goats, their 45 wins were tied with the Erie SeaWolves for most in the league in the first half, and their .672 winning percentage was best in the Eastern League.

During the first half, and in second half, some of those players eventually were promoted and moved on, but they were replaced by other top prospects, such as Carson Benge, Jacob Reimer, Jonathan Santucci, and Will Watson. Their standout performances along with other previously unheralded players stepping up led to Binghamton making mincemeat of the competition once again. The Rumble Ponies ended the second half with a nearly identical 45-24 record, winning the second half by 7.0 games over the Somerset Patriots. Once again, their 45 wins led the Eastern League, this time the only team to win 40 or more games in the second half.

Binghamton’s 90 wins established a new season high, beating the prior record of 86, set in 2023. Their 90-46 overall record was second-best in all of minor league baseball, with only the 92-39 West Michigan Whitecaps outplaying the Ponies. Their record was the best of any Mets minor league affiliate since Capital City Bombers went 90-51 in 1998 and their .661 winning percentage was the highest of any Mets minor league team since the 1986 Columbia Mets went 90-42, good for a .682 winning percentage.

The Rumble Ponies met the Somerset Patriots in the Eastern League Division Series and swept them in the best-of-three series, 3-1 and 5-4. Facing the Erie SeaWolves in the Eastern League Finals, the Rumble Ponies lost the first game in a 14-5 blowout, but rallied in Game Two to win 5-4, and then won decisively in the clinching Game Three 8-2. With the win, Binghamton won their first Eastern League championship as the Rumble Ponies and their fourth overall, having won prior as the Binghamton Mets in 1992, 1994, and 2014.

Michael Collins will be taking the reigns as team skipper, replacing Reid Brigniac, who was hired by Tampa Bay to coach the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Joining him will be Mariano Duncan, who will be serving as bench coach, Matt Carasiti, who will be serving as pitching coach, and Rachel Folden, who will be serving as hitting coach. Duncan served as 2025 bench coach, while Carasiti will be replacing 2025 pitching coach Dan McKinney and Folden will be replacing 2025 hitting coach Nate Irving.

The 2026 season will be Michael Collins’ first in the organization. Prior to joining the Mets, he spent the last eight with the Houston Astros, acting as their catching coach. Additionally, he managed in the San Diego Padres organization, managing the DSL Padres, AZL Padres, Fort Wayne TinCaps, and Lake Elsinore Storm between 2012 and 2017. Collins, who is Australian-American and was raised in Australia, also managed the Canberra Cavalry in the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 Australian Baseball League seasons.

Mariano Duncan will be returning for his eighth year in the Mets organization, and his fifth season serving as Binghamton Rumble Ponies bench coach. Additionally, he served as bench coach for the 2021 Brooklyn Cyclones and the 2019 Kingsport Mets.

The 2026 season will be Matt Carasiti’s first with the Mets, and his second season overall as a coach. In 2025, he served as pitching coach for the Everett AquaSox, the Seattle Mariners’ High-A affiliate.

The 2026 will also be the first season in the organization for Rachel Folden. She spent the prior five seasons with the Chicago Cubs, serving as Triple-A Iowa Cubs hitting coach in 2025, Double-A Tennessee Smokies hitting coach in 2024, minor league hitting coordinator in 2023, and Arizona Complex League hitting coach in 2021 and 2022.

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies will be opening the 2026 season against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Delta Dental Stadium tonight. Here’s their full Opening Day roster.