Meet Michael Collins: The New Rumble Ponies Manager

Today, January 21, 2026, a new manager was announced for the AA affiliate of the New York Mets, Binghamton Rumble Ponies, along with the player development staff.

Taking over for Reid Brignac, the team's fifth manager and 19th in the AA era for Binghamton, will be Michael Collins.

Collins has spent the past eight seasons with the Houston Astros, beginning as a bullpen manager for his first year and then as the catching coach for seven years. He also spent several years with the San Diego Padres organization.

The Rumble Ponies also note that Collins coached the Canberra Calvary in 2012-2013, winning the Claxton Shield as National Champions for the first time, in addition to serving as a coach for the National Team in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classic. He will return to Team Australia in March for the 2026 Classic.

Along with the manager announcement, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies acknowledged Pitching Coach Matt Carasiti, Hitting Coach Rachel Folden, Assistant Hitting Coach Jake Hager, and Bench Coach Mariano Duncan.

This will be Matt Carasiti's first season in the Mets organization. Last year, he was with the Everett AquaSox in the same capacity.

Rachel Folden will also be in her first season as the Hitting Coach with the Mets organization here in Binghamton, replacing Nate Irving, who will take over as the Hitting Coach for Triple-A Syracuse. She previously spent five years in the Cubs organization.

Another newcomer to the Rumble Ponies is Jake Hager as the Assistant Hitting & Infield Coach. He has spent 14 years in the Major Leagues, splitting time between shortstop, second base, and third base for the New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Chicago Cubs. Jake retired following the 2024 season with the Iowa Cubs.

Veteran Mariano Duncan will kick off his fifth season with the Rumble Ponies as bench coach. The team noted that he was an instrumental part of the Rumble Ponies' 2025 run to the Eastern League Championship. Duncan has quite a baseball resume, having been an infielder who played 12 major league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays. He is a two-time World Series champion (’90 Reds and ’96 Yankees) and was inducted into the Dominican Republic Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.

The Eastern League 2025 Champion Binghamton Rumble Ponies will begin the 2026 season on Friday, April 3rd, traveling to New Hampshire against the Fisher Cats.

The home opener will be Tuesday, April 7th, as the team hosts the Somerset Patriots beginning at 6:07 p.m. All home and away games will air again on WNBF 1290 AM and 92.1 FM.

For more information and everything Rumble Ponies for 2026, visit their website.