2023 Brooklyn Cyclones Season Recap: Pitching Rules The Year

The Brooklyn Cyclones (66-65) came very close to postseason baseball in 2023 in the South Atlantic League. Although they ended up falling one win short of a postseason berth, Chris Newell’s squad still produced a lot of fun moments at Coney Island this past year.

In the first half, Brooklyn had the worst record of any team in the North division (28-37), and they had a -15 run differential. If you fast forward to the second half, they finished tied with Jersey Shore for the best record in the division (38-28) and ended up having a +22 run differential.

Offensively, the Cyclones had the fewest hits of any team in the South Atlantic League (953) and the lowest on-base percentage (.310). However, they were one of six teams in the league to have 200+ doubles (201) in a lineup that saw plenty of top prospects make their debuts.

Kevin Parada, Photos by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

One of the top prospects that fans were excited to see at the beginning of the season was Kevin Parada. The 22-year-old catcher was tied for the team lead in doubles with 21 and had a strong month of June in which he had a slash line of .303/.354/.539 with 5 home runs and 15 RBIs in 21 games. While Parada did spend some time on the injured list before moving up to Double-A Binghamton in late August, he showed a good ability to hit the ball in the gap, and he had five three-hit performances on the year (two multi-home run games).

During his season, Parada recorded 20+ hits in a month on three different occasions, and it has earned him the chance to get to play in the Arizona Fall League this year. Behind the plate, he was one of the catchers that helped a pitching staff record a franchise-high 11 shutouts.

Alex Ramirez ended up being at High-A for the entire year. Although the 20-year-old had his share of struggles (.310 OBP,.627 OPS), he led the team in runs, hits, and walks. His signature game came on July 21 against Hudson Valley when he went 6-for-6 with a double, an RBI, and three stolen bases. He tied his career-high with 21 stolen bases on the year while also cutting down the times he got caught stealing from 16 in 2022 to 6 this year.

Mets outfield prospect Alex Ramírez was amazin on Friday night with a Brooklyn record 6 hits and this catch:

6-for-6, RBI, 3 R, 3 SB, 2B

pic.twitter.com/uK6aI6zklT

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 22, 2023

If you are looking for a power bat, look no further than Stanley Consuegra. The 23-year-old matched his age with 23 home runs to break a Brooklyn Cyclones franchise record. The bulk of those home runs came in August when he hit 8 of them in 25 games. During the second half of the season, he had a pair of multi-home run games.

Stanley Consuegra sets a new single-season Cyclones record with his 23rd home run of the year…and this one puts the 'Clones in front 2-1 after six here at Maimonides Park. #AmazinStartsHere pic.twitter.com/VNwYPHp3sh

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) September 10, 2023

The Cyclones offense did add some more offense throughout the year. SS/CF Jett Williams made his Brooklyn debut on August 1 and made an immediate impact in the leadoff spot. The 19-year-old had a slash line of .299/.451/.567 with a 1.018 OPS, 7 home runs, 18 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, and 33 walks. On August 9, Williams hit a home run in his first home game at Low-A and had 28 hits in his first month (.301 average).

Ryan Clifford came over in the Justin Verlander trade. The 20-year-old was already at Low-A before he got dealt, but he ended up finishing with 22 home runs at that level for the year. While Clifford only hit .188 with the Cyclones, he had a home run in his first game with Brooklyn against Jersey Shore on August 3.

On the mound, Brooklyn had one of the best pitching staffs in the league. In total, the team had the second-lowest ERA (3.74) and home runs allowed (88), as well as the fourth-most strikeouts (1,326). Over the last month of the year, Brooklyn’s 2.67 ERA was the third lowest in the league.

Suarez made the most starts of any pitcher on staff (19), most innings pitched (90 1/3), and racked up the most strikeouts (118). The 23-year-old right-hander had five outings this year where he went at least six innings, including an 11-strikeout performance on August 11 against Aberdeen. He allowed one hit in his final 12 innings at Low-A before being promoted to Double-A in September.

Like Suarez, Blade Tidwell got the call-up to Double-A late in the year. The second round pick in 2022 had a nine-start stretch in June and July where he did not lose a start. He allowed one run or less in six of those starts. This year, the 22-year-old had four starts in which he struck out at least ten hitters.

In addition to Suarez and Tidwell, Christian Scott had a 2.28 ERA in six starts at Low-A before going to Binghamton, and Tyler Stuart was the talk of the first half when he went 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA in 14 starts (75 2/3 innings pitched).

When you go to the bullpen, Paul Gervase made an immediate impact. The 12th round pick in 2022 led the team in saves with six, and he held opposing hitters to a below .200 average in four out of the five months he pitched in at Brooklyn before ending the season at Binghamton.

Down the stretch, the Cyclones had LHP Felipe De La Cruz and RHP Jordany Ventura give them quality starts. De La Cruz got the call-up in August and went five innings or more in each of his three starts. Meanwhile, Ventura got the promotion from Low-A St. Lucie a month prior and had 38 strikeouts over his final seven outs that he made, including a 10-strikeout performance on August 9 against Aberdeen.

Coaching Staff

Manager – Chris Newell

Hitting Coach – Richie Benes

Pitching Coach – Victor Ramos

Bench Coach – John Vaughn

Development Coach – Juan Loyo

Athletic Trainer – Paul Gonzales