2024 Binghamton Rumble Ponies Media Guide

Reid Returns! Brignac Back for Third Season as Manager of the Ponies BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Coming off leading the Rumble Ponies to the postseason for the first time since 2017, Reid Brignac returns as Binghamton’s manager along with Pitching Coach AJ Sager , Hitting Coach Darin Everson , and Bench Coach Mariano Duncan . Juan Loyo joins the staff as the team’s development coach. Brignac and his staff are coming off leading the Rumble Ponies to the Eastern League Championship Series in 2023 and their first playoff series victory since 2014.

Brignac (pronounced Brin-yac) begins his third year as manager of the Rumble Ponies and fifth year in the Mets organization. In 2023, under Brignac’s tutelage, the Ponies went on a second-half surge, going 39-27 overall and 17-5 over their last 22 games. Brignac’s team swept the Somer- set Patriots in the Eastern League Division Series to lead the Ponies to the ELCS before falling to Erie. In 2022, he led a team that saw five players make their major league debut with the Mets after starting the sea- son with the Rumble Ponies, tying a Binghamton franchise record ( Francisco Álvarez , Brett Baty, José Butto , Nate Fisher , and Bryce Montes de Oca ). Brignac also was the Mets’ repre-

Reid Brignac returns as manager after leading the Ponies to the Eastern League Championship Series in 2023

sentative on the Arizona Fall League coaching staff after that season, serving as the man- ager of the Peoria Javelinas. Brignac enjoyed a long and successful playing career, spend- ing parts of nine years in the major leagues with the Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins. He was initially drafted by the Rays in the second round of the 2004 MLB Draft. Sager begins his second season as the Rumble Ponies’ pitching coach and was named the Mets Minor League Staff Member of the Year for his efforts last year. Sager’s pitching staff

in 2023 set a Binghamton franchise record with 15 shutouts and took home five Eastern League honors, highlighted by Mike Vasil winning Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for May and Dom Hamel being named EL Pitcher of the Month for September. Sager’s staff also ranked first among the 30 Double-A clubs in strike

rate and walks issued, and second in op- ponent on-base percentage. On Septem- ber 7 at Hartford, right-hander Joander Suarez threw the eighth no-hitter in franchise history, facing the minimum 21 batters over seven innings. AJ Sager was named Mets Minor League Staff Member of the Year after his pitching staff set a franchise record with 15 shutouts in 2023.

Duncan begins his third year as bench coach with the Rum- ble Ponies and sixth year in the Mets organization. He pre- viously served as the bench coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones (High-A) in 2021 and in the same role with Kingsport in 2019. The former infielder played 12 major league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cin - cinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays. Mariano Duncan enters his third season as Binghamton’s Bench Coach. He is a two-time World Seires champion (’90 Reds and ’96 Yankees

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