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Diners, Debuts and Dominance: Looking Back on 2024

October 4, 2024

Bridgewater, New Jersey - Looking back on 2024, it was another season with a special story for the Somerset Patriots. The Patriots' fourth season as the Yankees' Double-A affiliate began with the grand reveal of the Jersey Diners, continued with a record number of MLB call-ups and concluded with a

Bridgewater, New Jersey - Looking back on 2024, it was another season with a special story for the Somerset Patriots. The Patriots' fourth season as the Yankees' Double-A affiliate began with the grand reveal of the Jersey Diners, continued with a record number of MLB call-ups and concluded with a second-half surge for supremacy, showing the way for an unforgettable era of Patriots baseball.

In their fourth year as the New York Yankees' Double-A affiliate, the Patriots graduated a franchise record 17 players to Major League Baseball. While the majority of this group prospered in pinstripes, the total was made up of 12 different Major League teams.

Of the 17 former Patriots that debuted in 2024, three players from this season's Patriots team took their talents to "The Show" by season's end: LHP Josh Maciejewski (NYY, 4/8/24), 1B/C Ben Rice (NYY, 6/18/24) and RHP Jack Neely (CHC, 8/21/24).

The former fan favorite from the prior season, Rice sparked 2024 by homering on the second pitch of Opening Day on April 5. Rice went back-to-back with fellow catcher Agustin Ramirez, spurring the first of several signature celebrations throughout the spring.

Nearly three months to the day on July 6, Rice became the first Yankee in franchise history to homer three times in a game as a rookie.

For Rice, a season that ended with bombs in the Bronx began with his slugging in Somerset. He also provided the Patriots with their first walk-off win of 2024 on April 19, when he snapped a scoreless tie with another leadoff longball - this time in the bottom of the ninth inning. Yankees No. 28 prospect RHP Trystan Vrieling began that game by firing 7.2 no-hit innings in his third professional start, the longest no-hit bid by any Patriot in a game during the season.

In his first ever month of professional baseball, Vrieling set the tone for the Patriots' pitching staff by being named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month in April. By the end of the season, he went on to lead all Yankees minor leaguers and all Eastern Leaguers with 13 wins on the mound.

Not only did Rice catch Vrieling during his early season excellence, but Rice's final Double-A start came on June 4, when he had the privilege of catching one of his soon-to-be Yankees teammates.

During the 2024 season, the Patriots hosted a franchise record 16 Major League rehab assignments, comprised of 14 different Yankees.

On June 4, a Double-A franchise record crowd of 8,260 piled into TD Bank Ballpark to see the defending AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole commence his 2024 season on rehab with the Patriots. Cole started both the first and last games of that week's series vs. Hartford in what proved to be perhaps the most memorable home stand of the season.

In between these two rehab starts, the epitome of excellence was personified by catcher Agustin Ramirez, who homered three times in the Patriots' game on June 7. Ramirez, who was named an Eastern League All-Star following the season, rampaged through the Eastern League starting with home runs in each of the Patriots' first three games of the season on Opening Weekend. In 58 games for Somerset, Ramirez slashed .289/.372/.570 and at the time of his promotion to Triple-A on June 19, he led the Eastern League with 16 HR, 49 RBI, 130 TB, 31 XBH and a .942 OPS.

The jubilance of this June home stand continued the very next day, with the debut of Somerset's newest alternate identity.

The Patriots kicked off 2024 by introducing their newest alternate identity, the Jersey Diners, to the world in January as a way to pay tribute to the state of New Jersey as the "Diner Capital of the World."

From day one of the announcement, which took place before an exclusive season ticket holder crowd at Park 22 Diner in Green Brook, the Diners were a smash hit, garnering over 173,000 social media impressions platform-wide in just the initial reveal of the branding alone, followed by millions of additional impressions in the forthcoming months. Additional publicity came from major media outlets that included NBC Channel 4 New York, ABC Channel 7 New York, YES Network, SNY, ESPN SportsCenter and MLB on FOX.

This media frenzy translated to franchise-shattering merchandise records in 2024 that led to the best retail year in the 25-year history of the Patriots. Additionally, Jersey Diners games saw a 42 percent increase in attendance compared to all other Patriots games during the season. New partnerships were born with the Diners brand identity as well, including with 14 local diners in the surrounding area and the Jersey Diners' title sponsor, Taylor Provisions Company (Taylor Pork Roll).

In order to cultivate the atmosphere of a classic diner for these games, vintage cars were displayed outside the ballpark, 50’s and 60’s music was exclusively played throughout each game and classic diner staples like Disco Fries (with cheese and gravy) and the Happy Waitress Special (grilled cheese with tomato and bacon) were available at concessions.

Included in these games, a mini diner was set up on the concourse giving fans the chance to win free pork roll sandwiches, disco fries, sodas and milkshakes, while spending three innings at the two custom-made Jersey Diners seating booths.

The Diners finally took the field on June 8, before another crowd of 8,000+ sporting their bright neon blue and pink colors, for the first of three Diners games during the 2024 season.

Following the season, the Jersey Diners were voted by fans as the Best Alternate Identity in Minor League Baseball at the 2024 MiLB Awards Show.

Another June highlight for the Patriots came on the first day of the month, with the team's first ever Sopranos Night featuring Steve Schirripa ("Bobby Baccalieri") from the New Jersey-set television hit.

For Sopranos Night on June 1, the Patriots welcomed 7,619 fans to the TD Bank Ballpark, making for the largest ever crowd for a non-fireworks Saturday night at TD Bank Ballpark.

Schirripa, who appeared for the game and engaged with fans throughout it by signing autographs and taking pictures, collaborated with the Patriots on a special menu of food items that were exclusive to the night. The first 1,000 fans in attendance also received a Sopranos inspired Patriots T-shirt.

In between innings featured clips from the TV show that accompanied Sopranos-themed games that included a Pine Barrens Challenge (ketchup packet eating contest), Dizzy Bat Newspaper Pickup and Track Suit Race. The entire playlist of music throughout the night was made up of infamous songs from the TV show.

Coinciding with the excitement of Sopranos Night, a former Patriots fan favorite from the prior season, Jasson Dominguez suited up for Somerset in the game as part of a Major League rehab assignment for the Yankees.

Between the entertainment of Sopranos Night and the Jersey Diners meeting the excitement brought by Gerrit Cole, Agustin Ramirez and Jasson Dominguez, perhaps the most impressive thing about this summer stretch was the fact that it all took place during the same two-week home stand that ran from May 28-June 9!

This was a home stand that started off with the Patriots' first ever game broadcast on the YES Network, which is the television flagship home for the Yankees.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 29, outfielder Spencer Jones provided the Patriots' with a walk-off win to end the team's first ever YES Network telecast.

This was the beginning of a summer surge for the Yankees' No. 2 prospect that lasted through the end of the season. Following the season, Jones was named an Eastern League All-Star for having slashed .259/.336/.788 and tying for the league lead with 53 XBH and 30 doubles.

Jones also ranked among the league leaders with 78 RBI (2nd), 218 TB (2nd), 125 H (3rd), 73 R (3rd) and 17 HR (7th). He ranked among the Yankees' minor league leaders in RBI (1st), XBH (1st), TB (1st), H (2nd), 2B (T-2nd) and R (T-3rd).

The Encinitas, CA native was named MiLB’s Eastern League Player of the Week three times in 2024 (6/24 – 6/30, 7/30 – 8/4, 8/26 - 9/1) and represented the Yankees in the MLB All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington during July.

While Jones carried much of the fanfare in Somerset during 2024, Yankees No. 30 prospect Rafael Flores put himself on the map with a breakout campaign of his own.

Flores joined the Patriots on June 26, for the start of the second half and his heroics throughout that leg of the season helped lead Somerset to its third straight postseason appearance.

After beginning the season in Hudson Valley and finishing it in Somerset, Flores ended the season ranking among the Yankees' minor league leaders with 21 HR (2nd), 31 doubles (2nd), 215 TB (2nd), 121 H (3rd), 66 BB (4th), 68 RBI (5th), a .495 SLG (5th) and 67 R (6th).

For his efforts, Flores was named Baseball America's 2024 Yankees Minor League Player of the Year.

Flores' production helped lead Somerset's second half surge to the playoffs. The Patriots' path to a third straight postseason appearance was improbable. On August 18, following a series win in Hartford, they were 6.0 games back of first place Portland with just 24 games to be played in the regular season.

Beginning with that series in Hartford on August 13, the Patriots went 22-8 over their final 30 games of the regular season to clinch the Eastern League's second half playoff berth on the final day of the regular season.

It was during this time that the team rallied around their signature mantra "Gas up the Ship," with each win during this stretch gassing up the proverbial space ship en route for the playoffs, in order to hit light speed at that time. The Patriots gassed up the ship with 22 wins over this 30-game stretch and outscored opponents 142-80 (+62).

Outfielder Elijah Dunham helped solidify Somerset's postseason berth by winning Eastern League Player of the Week honors three separate times in the second half, including in the final week of the regular season when he went 7-for-18 with 4 HR and 10 RBI in the Patriots' clinching series at home.

As Somerset took to the playoffs, the Patriots swept their way through a first round Northeast Division series win over the Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies), before eventually losing in the Championship Series to the Erie SeaWolves (Detroit Tigers).

The Patriots' third straight playoff appearance also marked their second appearance in the Eastern League Championship Series over the last three years.

Coinciding with this 30-game surge, the Patriots took the field as the New York Black Yankees for the first time in franchise history on August 30.

The Patriots took on this alternate identity as the Black Yankees to pay tribute to the Negro Leagues team based out of New York City, Paterson, New Jersey, and Rochester, New York from 1932 to 1948.

As the Black Yankees did not have a logo, jerseys or branding of their own while playing in the Negro Leagues, the Patriots unveiled brand new logos and jerseys specifically created to honor the Black Yankees and give the historic team its own unique identity and branding.

Following the game, the jerseys were auctioned off with proceeds going toward the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum. The auction raised over $5,000 for SSAAM. Overall, fundraising for the night exceeded $12,000, putting the year’s New York Black Yankees initiative community giving over $38,000.

During the game, the ballpark was adorned with banners on the main concourse depicting the history of the Negro Leagues and the Black Yankees. Fans received commemorative card strips featuring four Black Yankees players that have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame – John Henry “Pop” Lloyd, George “Mule” Suttles, Willie “The Devil” Wells and Leroy “Satchel” Paige.

Pre-game festivities included an on-field program highlighted by presentations and speeches from Hinchliffe Stadium, the Prince Rodgers Foundation and SSAAM.

Family Flava Food Truck and Catering served up soul food favorites for fans including hits like lemon pepper & honey BBQ wingettes, chicken and waffles, BBQ brisket sandwiches, mac & cheese, cole slaw and smoky collard greens with turkey, peach cobbler, sweet potato pies and uptowns.

The cherry on top of this tribute to the Black Yankees was Yankees platinum glove first baseman Anthony Rizzo appearing on Major League rehab with the Patriots during the week, including on this tribute night to the Negro Leagues' team.

Memorably, the home stand that week began with Rizzo, one of the faces for Italian Americans in baseball, homering during the first inning of Italian American Heritage Night on August 27.

Several of the Patriots' best successes of the season came off the field, highlighted by the debut of the brand new SK Club hospitality area, presented by PC Richard & Son.

Formerly known as the Party Deck, this newly renovated hospitality area was named in honor of Founding Chairman Steve Kalafer and Chairwoman Suzanne Kalafer.

On the day that the SK Club was unveiled to the public prior to the start of the season, the Patriots also unveiled a new array of menu items available at TD Bank Ballpark, including several in partnership with local vendors 22 West Tap & Grill, Prima Pizza Kitchen, Mozzarella Italian & Mexican Cucina and Two Fields Bake Shop.

Among Somerset's off-the-field successes were several philanthropic efforts, one of which was led by Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Torre. Torre, the decorated former MLB player, coach and executive appeared at TD Bank Ballpark on July 23 to help raise money for the Safe at Home Foundation, which he and his wife Ali began 20 years ago to end the cycle of violence and abuse through education.

Torre participated in a sold out VIP Meet & Greet with fans in the SK Club and he was honored later in the season by the Patriots with a bobblehead giveaway on August 28.

Torre was one of several notable figures to appear in Somerset during the 2024 season, including New York Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas, former Yankees Todd Frazier and Shane Spencer, NASCAR drivers Sage Karam and Joe Graf Jr., former American Idol star Constantine Maroulis and radio personality Don La Greca.

A season of successes for the Patriots can also be summarized by a total attendance of 348,390 fans that flocked to TD Bank Ballpark for 66 regular season games, making for an average of 5,279 per game.

On social media, the Patriots were also among the most successful teams in professional baseball, garnering 38.6 million impressions platform-wide during the season on Facebook, X and Instagram, which ranked 4th among 120 Minor League Baseball teams.

While the book has closed on Somerset in 2024, the Yankees' quest for a World Series is just beginning and the Patriots' influence on this year's Yankees team is undeniable.

Beginning with the 14 Yankees that came through Somerset on Major League rehab in 2024, even a pair of Yankees who did not play in Somerset will forever be tied to the Patriots that made their acquisition by the Yankees possible.

The Yankees' marquee trade deadline acquisition was Jazz Chisolm, who homered six times in his first 11 games as a Yankee. His arrival in the Bronx would not have been possible without the accomplishments of Patriots star Agustin Ramirez. Ramirez was the centerpiece of the three-player package that brought Chisolm to New York and he was ranked by Baseball America as the top minor league prospect to be traded at the 2024 deadline.

The big league bullpen was also bolstered by bringing in reliever Mark Leiter Jr. from the Cubs. Two of Somerset's most productive players in 2024, RHP Jack Neely and INF Benjamin Cowles were sent to Chicago in exchange for Leiter at the deadline.

Neely starred in Somerset in both 2023 and 2024, leading all Patriots relievers in saves during his stint with the team prior to a Triple-A promotion.

At the time of the trade, Cowles was Somerset's team leader in nearly every offensive category, including games played with 88. Cowles opened the season in Somerset by being named Eastern League Player of the Month in April.

Directly on the Yankees roster, homegrown talent has been palpable all season.

Former Somerset fan favorite and Eastern League Champion Austin Wells put himself in the conversation as an AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner by becoming the Yankees' primary catcher in 2024. In 115 total games, Wells slashed .229/.322/.395 with 13 HR, 55 RBI and 42 R, cementing his spot in the Yankees' future plans.

One of Wells' competitors for the AL Rookie of the Year award is none other than former Patriots RHP Luis Gil. Gil, who started the first ever game in Patriots Double-A history, posted a 15-7 record and 3.50 ERA in 29 MLB starts during 2024. He was named both the May AL Pitcher of the Month and the May AL Rookie of the Month.

Additionally, Ben Rice's arrival in the Bronx contributed to the team's American League-best 94-68 record and he figures to factor into Postseason playing time for the Bombers.

Somerset County's own, Anthony Volpe has continued to be an ironman at shortstop, leading the Yankees with 160 games played in 2024, while hitting .243.

Utility man Oswaldo Cabrera also established himself as one of Aaron Boone's most reliable weapons, seeing time in 109 games and posting a .247/.296/.365 slash line.

For a second consecutive season, the Yankees also called up outfielder Jasson Dominguez in September. Dominguez will get his first postseason run since 2022 in Somerset, when he homered from both sides of the plate in the Patriots' Championship-clinching game.

On the pitching end, a collection of Somerset's most dominant pitchers from the last several seasons debuted, consisting of Clayton Beeter, Josh Maciejewski and Will Warren.

Contributions were also made by former Patriots Yoendrys Gomez, Carlos Narvaez and Oswald Peraza, while a dozen other former Patriots went on to debut with different organizations in 2024.

While the Patriots' influence on the Yankees' postseason roster is most evident, even looking to the remainder of the MLB Postseason field, former Patriots fan favorites Trey Sweeney (DET) and Brandon Lockridge (SDP) have found homes on teams contending for a World Series as well.

Times like 2024 have set the standard for the years to come in Somerset.

While every year is special, 2024 was one that saw a franchise record 17 Major Leaguers produced. It was a year that saw the Jersey Diners rolled out and voted as the Best Alternate Identity of 2024. The defending American League Cy Young toed the rubber in Somerset before the largest affiliated crowd the franchise has seen.

The New York Black Yankees took the field with their own original branding for the first time in history and the Sopranos sensation swept over Central New Jersey for the first time in years. From the successes off the field, to one of the most memorable stretches of baseball that has ever taken place in Somerset on the field, 2024 was no exception to what has become the standard for the Somerset Patriots.

From newfound partnerships, to lifelong memories, Eastern League Championships and Major League prosperity in pinstripes, through four years as the New York Yankees' Double-A affiliate, every season has continued to raise the bar, leaving you with the thought that the best is still yet to come for the Somerset Patriots.

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