The Brooklyn Cyclones began their postseason by sweeping the Division Series in two games, defeating the Greensboro Grasshoppers 4-3 and 4-1. They began their championship series on Sunday against the Hub City Spartanburgers which resulted in a resounding 13-1 victory. They need just one more victory out of a possible two more games to capture the South Atlantic League championship. Their next game will be Tuesday and Game 3, if necessary, will be Wednesday.

Will Watson. Photo by Sam Johnston/Brooklyn Cyclones

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets split their six-game set against the Worcester Red Sox last week. It was a pretty low-scoring series, with the Mets being outscored 25-19. Syracuse is now 42-27 in the second half and 73-71 overall with one series left in the regular season. They’d need to pick up three games on the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders in the next week to get into the Triple-A playoffs. If they do, all four of the Mets’ top affiliates will have made the playoffs in their respective leagues.

Jett Williams showed off his power and his elite eye in the Mets’ latest series. He went just 4-for-22, but two of his hits left the yard, and he also recorded four walks. Williams has struggled since being promoted to Syracuse, owning just a .665 OPS.

Ryan Clifford also hit a home run, extending his Mets organizational lead. He went 3-for-18 and also added a double, while walking six times and striking out just five times. Clifford now owns a .762 OPS since joining Syracuse.

Jared Young continued his excellent year for the Triple-A squad. In the latest series, he went 4-for-14 with a home run, three walks, and two stolen bases. In 70 games, he owns a fabulous .961 OPS.

In his first start since being sent down to Triple-A to figure things out, Kodai Senga looked comfortable with a six-inning, one-run start. Senga allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out eight. He figures to make at least one more start in Syracuse before re-joining the major league team.

Other notable pitching performances in this series included Oliver Ortega (4 IP, 0 ER, 3 K), Alex Carrillo (3.1 IP, 0 ER, 5 K), and Austin Warren (3 IP, 0 ER, 4 K).

Jett Williams. Photo by Kylie Richelle

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies finished up their regular season by winning five of six games against the Portland Sea Dogs. Their only loss was an 8-7 defeat. Binghamton ends the regular season with a 45-24 second-half record and a 90-46 overall record. They face the Somerset Patriots in a best-of-three division series beginning Tuesday.

Despite the big series win, the offensive results were not there. Omar De Los Santos had the best series for a position player on the team, going 6-for-20 with a triple, a home run, a walk, and three stolen bases. He drove in four runs and scored four runs, while improving his OPS with Binghamton to .620.

Nick Morabito looked solid, going 5-for-19 with five walks and four stolen bases. He drove in four runs and scored a run of his own. His OPS now sits at .733.

While the offense wasn’t very prominent for Binghamton, the pitching was. Will Watson was the headliner, as he shone in two brilliant outings (one start). Watson combined to throw 9 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out 14 batters. Watson has now made four appearances with Binghamton and owns a 3.44 ERA.

Jack Wenninger was also fantastic, going eight innings in his start and allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits, no walks, and two strikeouts. Wenninger owns a 2.92 ERA through 26 starts this year.

Jonathan Santucci also looked great once again, as he tossed five shutout innings. He allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out seven. Santucci owns a 2.52 ERA in 10 starts with the Rumble Ponies.

Jack Wenninger. Photo by Kylie Richelle

High-A

Over the past three postseason games, here are the players who have stood out for the Brooklyn Cyclones:

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets’ season finished this past week with a loss to the Daytona Tortugas in the Division Series. The Mets captured the first game 4-2 and needed just one more win, but the Tortugas won each of the next two games to move on.

Here are the players who stood out in the Mets’ postseason series:

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK/BNG) – .315

OPS – Carson Benge (BRK/BNG/SYR) – .840

HR – Ryan Clifford (BNG/SYR) – 28

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK/BNG) – 70

Pitching

ERA – Jonah Tong (BNG/SYR) – 1.43

SO – Jonah Tong (BNG/SYR) – 179

WHIP – Zach Thornton (BRK/BNG) – 0.812

Players of the Week

Offense – Yonatan Henriquez, UTIL Brooklyn

Yonatan Henriquez has had one of the more drastic turnarounds within a season we’ve seen in some time. Through July 4, having played 62 games, he had a measly .623 OPS, all with Low-A St. Lucie. From July 5 on, however, he’s played in 72 games (the last few weeks in High-A) and has recorded an .863 OPS. In the last three postseason games, he has six RBIs and a 1.125 OPS, propelling Brooklyn to within one win of a league championship.

Pitching – Will Watson, P Binghamton

Will Watson has been overshadowed by so many of the Mets’ other highly touted pitching prospects, but he has been among the best of the bunch. Having started the year in Low-A, he is now in Double-A and still thriving. He’s made 28 appearances (23 starts) over the course of the year and has a 2.60 ERA. His best stretch was with High-A Brooklyn, where he had a 1.70 ERA in 14 appearances.

Upcoming Schedule – September 16-21

  • Triple-A Syracuse: @ Lehigh Valley
  • Double-A Binghamton: @/vs. Somerset – Division Series, Best of Three
  • High-A Brooklyn: @ Hub City – Championship Series, Best of Three. Currently up 1-0