Rumble Ponies’ Bullpen Packed with Potential MLB Talent

David Stearns and the Mets are now known for the developments of their “pitching lab.” The Mets have already seen the effects of it at the MLB level, breathing new life into the careers of Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning and other starting pitchers over just the last season and change.

However, it’s not just the starters. One of the hallmarks of a successful organization is the ability to develop quality relief pitchers in its minor league system, who go on to pay dividends at the major league level. The emergence of Reed Garrett is one example of this, who toiled for years, jumping from organization to organization, without finding any success in the bigs. And then there’s Jose Buttó and Dedniel Núñez, who were both instrumental to last year’s success and should continue to be big contributors, despite the latter’s recent struggles.

Developing your own relief pitchers rather than trading for them or paying a premium in free agency is massive, and the Mets look to be heading in the right direction. Right now in Double-A Binghamton, the Rumble Ponies have a stable of arms in the bullpen who could one day be pitching in Queens.

Let’s take a look at some arms who could have impact in the bullpen in the future.

The Flamethrower

The best and most well-known of the bullpen arms in Binghamton is Ryan Lambert. An 8th-round pick out of Oklahoma in the 2024 MLB Draft, the Mets immediately assigned Lambert to High-A Brooklyn a little over a month after he was drafted. In an age where most pitchers are shut down for the rest of the season following the draft, the Mets were aggressive with Lambert.

He shoved, appearing in two games and throwing two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. He returned to Brooklyn to begin 2025 and made quick work of the level, allowing just one earned run and four baserunners in eight innings while striking out 17. He was then promoted to Bingo.

So far, he’s matched that dominance for the Rumble Ponies, also giving up just one earned run in eight innings. The strikeouts aren’t quite at the unsustainable level they were in Brooklyn, which was a result of him simply being too good for the level, but he’s still punching out over a batter per inning in Double-A.

Lambert’s calling card is his velocity. He sits in the high-90s and can hit triple digits and get over 20 inches of IVB, making it a true elite fastball. He also has a hard slider that’s a plus pitch and can work against both lefties and righties.

It might be unlikely, but it’s not completely out of the question that Lambert will pitch in the big leagues this year.

The Converted Starter

Also in Binghamton is a former starting pitcher who, for the first time in his career, is being used exclusively as a reliever—and he’s excelling.

Douglas Orellana, a 23-year-old righty from Venezuela, had a great but abbreviated 2024 season for Brooklyn. In 13 appearances (nine starts), Orellana threw 38 2/3 innings with a 1.86 ERA and 49 strikeouts. However, he didn’t throw a pitch after July 5.

If he had one bugaboo last season, it was walks, and that’s changed this season. Last season, he sported an 11% walk rate. This season, it’s cut in half, down to 5.5%. Orellana has made 11 appearances so far this season and turned in a 1.66 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 23 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate is up, home run rate is down (hasn’t given one up yet), and his opponents’ batting average is way down. Orellana is taking the next step.

He has a mid-90s fastball with a unique shape that has ticked up recently and hit 97 mph in spring training, maybe a result of his move to the bullpen, as well as a curve that can be a good offering. But his slider is his best pitch. That’s nothing new; it’s been his best pitch throughout his minor league career, and it’s continuing to be a big reason for his success.

There’s probably less of a chance he makes his big league debut this year than Lambert, with his move to the bullpen so new it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mets take it slow with him. Next year, though, is definitely a possibility—if not likely—if he keeps pitching like this.

The Brooklyn Breakouts

There’s also a pair of arms who started the season with the Brooklyn Cyclones, dominated, and have recently been promoted to Binghamton.

Anthony Nunez, a former infielder in the San Diego Padres organization, has re-emerged as a pitcher, and his stint in Brooklyn was about as good as it gets. Nunez started the year with a scoreless and hitless outing. And then he threw another. And another. And then three more. It took until his seventh appearance and 10th inning of the year to finally give up a hit, and then another three appearances and innings to give up his first earned run.

Overall, Nunez posted a 0.63 ERA in 14 1/3 innings with the Cyclones, striking out 25 while allowing just three hits and five walks. He was promoted to Binghamton on May 12 and has pitched twice for the Rumble Ponies, giving up two hits and one run in two innings of work.

Promoted to Binghamton along with Nunez was Dylan Ross, the Mets’ 13th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Ross didn’t make his professional baseball debut until the very end of last season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, and it was quite the debut—he struck out the side.

He’s continued that dominance into this season. In 10 appearances and 11 2/3 innings for the Cyclones, Ross posted a 1.54 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 23 strikeouts—a rate of about two per inning. He can get a bit wild at times, walking eight while down in Brooklyn, but he’s kept it under control enough thus far.

Ross is also a flamethrower, pumping in a high-90s fastball that has gotten up to 102 as recently as this week. He pairs that velocity with elite extension from a 6-foot-5 frame, making it just a truly devastating pitch.

He has made two appearances for the Rumble Ponies since his promotion and hasn’t given up a run, surrendering just one hit while striking out a pair in two innings.

Ross and Nunez are at least a year, if not two, away from being considered for the big league squad if everything goes well, but right now they’re looking like two legitimate future pieces of the Mets bullpen.

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