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Thriving in 2025, Another Season to Remember in Somerset

By Steven Cusumano
September 23, 2025

Bridgewater, New Jersey - The 2025 season was a fitting celebration in Somerset to commemorate five years as the Yankees' Double-A affiliate. The organization's tradition of excellence continued with a fourth consecutive postseason berth and a plethora of top Yankees prospects on display. A record-setting season in attendance with an

Bridgewater, New Jersey - The 2025 season was a fitting celebration in Somerset to commemorate five years as the Yankees' Double-A affiliate. The organization's tradition of excellence continued with a fourth consecutive postseason berth and a plethora of top Yankees prospects on display.

A record-setting season in attendance with an average of 5,448 fans per game, headlined by TD Bank Ballpark's nine millionth fan, showed the way for another significant season of off-the-field accomplishments. From Disney, to Harry Potter, to Peanuts, Sopranos, to Star Wars, to Infinity and Beyond, it was a memorable season at the ballpark and throughout the community in Somerset.

The only way to begin a conversation about 2025 is by remembering where the Patriots left off in 2024. Spencer Jones, Rafael Flores and a bevy a top Yankees prospects returned to Somerset to run back what was a shot at the Eastern League Championship a season prior.

Yankees No. 3 prospect Spencer Jones spent the first half of his historic 2025 season in Somerset. After a dominant MLB Spring Training with the Yankees, Jones clubbed 35 home runs during the regular season, ranking second in all of Minor League Baseball. After breaking camp in Somerset, Jones smashed 16 home runs, which led the Eastern League at the time of his Triple-A promotion on June 26th.

While Jones headlined the group of returning position players, the story of the 2025 Somerset Patriots begins with their Opening Night starter on April 4th.

For Yankees No. 5 prospect Cam Schlittler, a season that started on the mound for Somerset Opening Night ended with him starting meaningful games in July, August and September for the New York Yankees.

Schlittler, who started Somerset's final game of the 2024 season in the Eastern League Championship Series, picked up where he left off with a dominant run to begin the season in Somerset.

Pitching atop Somerset's staff, Schlittler rode a 2.38 ERA to a June 3rd promotion to Triple-A and he eventually made his Major League debut one month later on July 9th for the Yankees. Schlittler was one of seven Somerset Patriots to debut in the big leagues in 2025, including two members of this season's team.

His second start of the season came with a flare of foreshadowing, on Thursday, April 10th. Clarke Schmidt became the first of 12 Yankees to join the Patriots on a Major League rehab assignment. Relegated to the bullpen that day, Schlittler piggybacked Schmidt, when the two combined on a 4-1 win over the Hartford Yard Goats at home, striking out nine batters without issuing a walk.

Fast forward to July 4th--the day Clarke Schmidt's season ended with an IL stint--it was Cam Schlittler who assumed his spot in the Yankees' starting rotation that week.

While Schmidt was the first of 12 Yankees to rehab in Somerset during the 2025 season, former MVP Giancarlo Stanton headlined the list of familiar faces at the ballpark. Stanton's stint in Somerset (memorialized by his final game in a Margaritaville jersey!) marked his third time in four years joining the Patriots for a rehab assignment.

Along with Schmidt and Stanton, the complete list of returning Major League rehabbers included DJ LeMahieu, Clayton Beeter, JT Brubaker, Luis Gil and Mark Leiter Jr.

Gil, the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year with the Yankees, serendipitously made his rehab appearance on July 13th--the same day that Thomas Nicholas, star of the movie "Rookie of the Year," made his appearance in Somerset!

The list of Major League rehabbers new to the Somerset audience included Scott Effross, Marcus Stroman, Yerry De Los Santos, Fernando Cruz and none other than one of baseball's most exciting players, Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Chisholm Jr. joined the Patriots during a stacked spring home stand that bridged May into June. In addition to being in Somerset for the second annual Sopranos Night with Steve Schirripa, Jazz jived with the Jersey Diners electric blue and pink to kick off the month of June!

Minor League Baseball's 2024 Alternate Identity of the Year, the Jersey Diners, were back for seconds (or sixths?) in 2025, as the Diners took the field six times at TD Bank Ballpark, led by the team's newest mascot, "Joe!"

The featured dish on the menu in 2025 was an appearance for the Jersey Diners on ESPN's SportCenter on July 12th. The Diners represented the Garden State on the program's 50 States in 50 Days with a visit from the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

This SportsCenter spotlight during the summer exemplified what was another sensational season for Somerset in the media scene.

In addition to seven more home games featured on the Yankees' television flagship, the YES Network, and coverage on the network's Homegrown: the Path to Pinstripes program, the Patriots ranked first in impressions and engagement throughout all of Double-A baseball and continued to set the industry standard for media in Minor League Baseball.

As summer started to blossom, so did the Yankees' top prospect George Lombard Jr. Lombard Jr. first joined the Patriots in May and it didn't take the then-19-year-old shortstop long to catch his stride.

The first inkling of magic from the Yankees' 2023 first round pick fittingly came on Harry Potter Night, July 10th, when he supplied the game's only RBI in a 1-0 victory.

Following that game, Lombard Jr. represented the Yankees at the MLB All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta the same weekend.

Behind Lombard's leadership, and the arrival of several other key pieces, the team developed an identity that laid the groundwork for a postseason run: the Second Half Pats.

Yankees top prospects Brendan Jones, Roc Riggio and Carlos Lagrange all joined the Patriots at the beginning of June, amid a first half where the Patriots were battling to stay above .500. Somerset won its final seven games of the half to secure a 35-34 first half record, seizing the momentum that would carry them to a fourth straight playoff run.

While July began with Somerset's most successful run of the season entering the All-Star break, the team had to fight through the adversity of several key departures as well.

The Patriots' lone All-Star in 2025 was catcher Rafael Flores, who earned a well-deserved call-up to Triple-A fresh out of the All-Star break on July 19th.

Flores, who homered 30 times in his two seasons with the Patriots, highlighted a talented pool of prospects sent off at the MLB trade deadline. While in Triple-A, Flores was traded to the Pirates in exchange for closer David Bednar.

The Patriots' all-time wins leader, righty Trystan Vrieling was traded off Somerset's roster, alongside former Patriots utility man Jesus Rodriguez in exchange for Camilo Doval from the Giants.

Lastly, the team chasing Somerset in the second half standings, Hartford gained two Patriots at the deadline--Roc Riggio and Ben Shields, who were both traded to the Rockies for Jake Bird, directly off Somerset's roster.

These departures paved the way for players the caliber of Jace Avina, Dylan Jasso and Brendan Jones to star for Somerset over the final two months of the season.

Jones led all Yankees minor leaguers with 51 total stolen bases during the season, becoming the first Yankees minor leaguer with 50+ steals since Anthony Volpe in 2022.

As fate would have it, Flores became the seventh former Patriot to debut in the big leagues during the 2025 season--and the 50th overall in five years as the Yankees' Double-A affiliate.

Schlittler and Flores were joined by J.C. Escarra (NYY), Agustin Ramirez (MIA), Caleb Durbin (MIL), Anthony Seigler (MIL) and Blas Castano (SEA) as the seven Patriots to make it to The Show in 2025.

Beyond the players that Somerset graduated to the Majors in 2025, the team also welcomed several accomplished big leaguers to the ballpark, including Yankees and Mets legend Darryl Strawberry, and former Somerset Patriots 2021 Eastern League MVP Oswaldo Cabrera.

During their August series vs. the Mets-affiliated Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Patriots even took home the hardware! In their Toy Story series, where Somerset wore Buzz Lightyear jerseys and Binghamton wore Woody jerseys, the Patriots won both games to secure the highly prized Spud Cup.

In addition to their on-field accomplishments, the Patriots once again proved their pedigree off the field, making over $500,000 in donations to charities to date during the calendar year.

Additionally, during HOPE Week in August, the Patriots made visits to RWJ University Hospital Somerset, set up care packages to send to military overseas for Operation Shoebox New Jersey, and contributed to the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum's Negro Leagues exhibit, continuing to establish their reputation as champions in the community.

For a second straight season, the Somerset Patriots took the field as the New York Black Yankees, honoring the Negro Leagues team that played from 1932 to 1948.

Somerset's New York Black Yankees ambassador and former Yankees World Series Champion Willie Randolph helped the team welcome two former Negros Leagues players, James Cobbin and Dennis Biddle, to the ballpark as part of paying tribute to the New York Black Yankees' place in baseball history.

The 2025 season also marked Somerset's fourth year embracing Latin culture in baseball, suiting up as the Zorros de Somerset in compliance with MiLB's Copa de La Diversion program.

Additionally, the Patriots held tributes with several other community days at the ballpark, including Jewish Heritage Day, Military Appreciation Day, Teacher Appreciation Day and Most Improved Students.

As the Somerset Patriots geared up for their 2025 playoff run, pitching told the story of the Second Half Pats. By the end of the season, Somerset's entire starting rotation was comprised of top-15 prospects in the Yankees organization, per MLB Pipeline: Carlos Lagrange (No. 2), Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (No. 5), Ben Hess (No. 6), Brock Selvidge (No. 10) and Kyle Carr (No. 13).

By the end of the Double-A season, Rodriguez-Cruz and Lagrange found themselves ranking No. 2 and No. 3 overall in Minor League Baseball with 176 strikeouts and 168 strikeouts, respectively.

Throughout the season, six Patriots won Player of the Week/Month honors, including Carlos Lagrange (Pitcher of the Month: July), Brendan Beck (Pitcher of the Week: 4/14-4/20), Spencer Jones (Player of the Week: 6/16-6/22), Brendan Jones (Player of the Week: 7/7-7/13), Trent Sellers (Pitcher of the Week: 7/28-8/3) and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (Pitcher of the Week: 9/1-9/7.

Following the end of the season, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz was named by Baseball America as the Yankees' 2025 Minor League Player of the Year.

Championship or not, every September brings a reason to celebrate another successful season. A season that will be remembered for the Second Half Pats, a fourth straight playoff berth, Cup of Joe, the Spud Cup, SportsCenter, Jazz, Schlittler and beyond!

Rounding out year five as the Yankees' Double-A affiliate, a tradition of excellence continues to be laid for future years to come.