Brooklyn Cyclones OF Ross Adolph put on a show during the New York Penn League All-Star Game becoming the first-ever Cyclone to ever take home the All-Star Game MVP award.
While an impressive feat in and of itself, the achievement stands out all the more when you consider Mets players like Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, Wilmer Flores, Brandon Nimmo, and Michael Conforto passed through Brooklyn on their way to the majors.
Adolph earned the honors going 2-for-3 with a triple, homer, and three RBI.
This performance was just the latest entry in what has been a terrific first professional season for the Mets 12th round draft pick out of the University of Toledo.
In 42 games, Adolph is hitting .261/.324/.433 with five doubles, eight triples, two homers, and 21 RBI. The eight triples are the second most in the league.
Seeing him perform at this level should come as no surprise. It certainly doesn’t to his college coach, Cory Mee, who said to Brian Buckey of The Blade:
When we recruited Ross, we saw a guy whose best days were ahead of him. We felt like he was going to come in and get better and he did that. He’s a very good athlete and he has really good physical tools. In talking with him, you could tell that he was willing to put in the effort and hard work that it takes to get better. We always felt like he was going to be an everyday player for us and he was. He turned into a great player for us.
That hard work and raw talent led to Adolph being named to the All Mid-American Conference Defensive Team. It also led to him developing power late in his collegiate career which helped lead to his being drafted by the Mets.
When he was drafted JJ Cooper, Executive Editor of Baseball America said Adolph stood out as he was a “Productive college player with some power and athleticism.”
So far, that raw power and athleticism have led to Adolph being named the MVP of the New York-Penn League All-Star Game. With his hard work and natural ability, it will be very interesting to see where his skills carry him next.
