September 12, 2014, is a date Binghamton Met fans won’t soon forget. Binghamton returned home to NYSEG Stadium after a historic road trip that saw them win the final two games of a five game series in Portland to advance to the Eastern League Championship series then win the first two games of that series in Richmond.
A capacity crowd packed NYSEG Stadium as Binghamton sent Steven Matz to the hill to try and nail down the title. Matz was electric carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning, and the B-Mets captured the crown on a Jayce Boyd walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Binghamton Eastern League championship was the franchise’s first in twenty years.
My night at NYSEG included an added bonus. Before the game I spotted Met GM Sandy Alderson sitting several rows back in the crowd. I had watched a game beside Sandy at NYSEG in 2012 and stopped by to say hello. During our conversation, I put in a plug in for B-Met General Manager Jim Weed, who had been terrific lining up guests for a weekly ‘All About Binghamton Baseball segment, on our Tip-Off, WIOX radio show. As I was saying goodbye, almost off-handedly, Sandy told me if I wanted, he’d be glad to appear as a future guest on Tip-Off.
The interview took place in late October and was covered extensively by Joe Decaro of Mets Merized. One of the Met GM’s responses was overlooked in the post interview reviews but has been the subject of much thought on my part. The response came as part of an answer to my question about the balance between player development and winning in the minor leagues and the importance the Mets place on winning on their farm teams. Sandy explained that winning at the minor league level is an important part of the Met philosophy and a valued part of the player development process. The Mets clearly believe minor league success helps shape a winning mindset when prospects reach the major league level at Citi Field.
Almost as an aside in support of that premise, Alderson mentioned that’s one of the reasons the Mets like to sprinkle more experienced and productive older players on their minor league rosters, guys who can model for the up and coming youngsters what it takes to win. I’ve thought a lot about that comment and how it relates to the championship season in Binghamton.
In the excitement that comes with a group of young prospects chasing a championship it would be easy to overlook the contributions of two elder statesmen who played in Binghamton this season. A giant presence at first base, veteran first baseman Matt Clark returned from playing professional baseball in Japan to start the season in Binghamton. The 6’4,” 230-pound first sacker contributed mightily in helping the B-Mets get their game off and running in the early going. Before asking for his release from the team in late June so he could sign on with Milwaukee’s Triple-A team in Nashville, Clark was a beast at the plate for the B-Mets. In 67 games the slugging first baseman batted .297, logged a a.380 on-base-percentage, led Binghamton with 46 RBI’s and was second on the team in home runs with 10.
Clarks gambit paid off when he hit .313 for Nashville in 195 at bats including 16 home runs. The big first baseman was a late season call up for the Brewers blasting home runs in three consecutive games in September.
In a championship season punctuated by wild roster change,s Binghamton had one anchor on the squad, veteran Brian Burgamy. Burgamy opened the season playing third base for the B-Mets and, after the departure of Clark, added part-time service at first base spelling Jayce Boyd.
Burgamy, 33, and in his 13th professional baseball seasons in the minor leagues, defined everything Alderson was looking for from a veteran minor leaguer for the B-Mets. Professional in every way, Burgamy modeled a strong work ethic, a zest for the game, and consistency over time for the younger B-Met prospects. Burgamy’s offensive outputs were an indisputable asset for Eastern League Champions. The only post season Eastern League All-Star from the league champions, Burgamy was second in the league in HR’s with 23, third in RBI’s with 76, third in doubles with 32, third in total bases with 227, fourth in runs scored with 80, fourth in base-on-balls with 71, fourth in OPS at .880 and in the top ten in both on-base-percentage and slugging percentage.
During the regular season when I reported the outcomes of B-Met games for
MetsMerized posts, descriptions of Burgamy’s contributions would often be ridiculed by readers who felt the time the veteran spent on the field robbed playing time and thus detracted from the progress of young Met upstarts.
Alderson’s observation in the Tip-Off interview placed the inclusion of guys like Matt Clark and Brian Burgamy in the context of an organizational development and improvement plan. If winning is included as a criteria in a young prospects development, as I firmly believe it should be, including Matt Clark and, especially, Brian Burgamy on the Binghamton roster was a stroke of genius.
The pair of veterans were critical pieces in the B-Met’s championship season. Sitting behind home plate on September the 12th and watching the wild, extended on the field celebration after Binghamton captured the Eastern League crown, I can’t help but believe the young Met prospects came away from that experience anything but hungry for the taste of more championship champagne.