After today’s contest, the Mets have optioned RHP Corey Oswalt to their alternate training site at MCU Park in Brooklyn. A corresponding move has yet to be announced.

Oswalt had the unfortunate duty of soaking up four frames of work after Rick Porcello‘s abbreviated debut. In his four innings, he was drubbed to the tune of seven hits, five runs, and three home runs. This was Oswalt’s first outing of the season.

Oswalt was the Mets’ probable pitcher for Tuesday, although after this news, he will be presumably removed from the starting slate of pitchers.

In three seasons with the Mets, the 26-year-old has run up a 6.43 ERA/5.76 FIP in 71.1 frames. He’s done considerably better in the minor leagues, posting a 2.91 ERA with the Syracuse Mets last season.

He has one minor-league option yet, meaning if the Mets wanted to send him down to the minors next year, he will need to be placed on waivers.

MetsMerizedOnline’s own Jacob Resnick notes that Daniel Zamora or Tyler Bashlor are the only other relievers on the Mets’ 40-man roster.

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CHRIS PEDOTA, NORTHJERSEY.COM-USA TODAY NETWORK

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen said he could not provide an update on the groups involved in the bidding process for the sale of the team, in part because it is not a topic that has come across his desk.

“Truthfully, it’s not a process I’m involved in,” Van Wagenen said. “For me and the baseball operations department, it continues to be business as usual. I anticipate it remaining that way until there is, or if there is, a change.”

Although it would be surprising if he is not being kept abreast of the latest developments, Van Wagenen insinuated that his interactions with the current ownership have been solely focused on baseball matters.

“Jeff [Wilpon] and I are still in constant communication on every aspect of the day-to-day operations,” Van Wagenen said. “Fred [Wilpon] and I are in regular communication about our team and the decision-making, and we’re collaborating in the same way we always have.

“You’d be surprised,” he added when prodded further. “We aren’t talking about it as a baseball operations group. Our focus is on what I just described, which is to win and it’s to try and win going forward.”

Here are some other noteworthy tidbits from Friday’s presser.

Brooklyn Site to Open Soon

Van Wagenen said he expects the Mets to open up MCU Park in Coney Island for training in the coming days, perhaps as soon as the start of next week.

Team officials recently did a walk-through of the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, which is constantly lauded as one of the best facilities in minor league baseball.

Van Wagenen also said that he expects multiple players to be added to the organization’s Player Pool (which currently has nine open spots) soon, which would allow for workout groups to be divided among the two sites.

Cano’s Absence Confirmed

Van Wagenen confirmed that Robinson Cano has not been present at workouts over the past few days but did not provide a reason for his absence.

“As it relates to player communication and daily updates, you can count on us to continue to provide daily updates on all players and their on-field activities, all players on any health-related issue from an on-field activity, but once players leave the ballpark, we’re not going to provide updates there,” Van Wagenen said.

“There’s a variety of reasons why players are or aren’t here on a given day and we’re going to protect the players’ rights to keep those reasons quiet.”

Lowrie’s Status Seems to be Improving

“We’re starting to get more answers to the questions we had when we entered camp,” said Van Wagenen with regard to the status of Jed Lowrie.

The 36-year-old infielder doubled and scored against Jacob deGrom in a simulated game on Thursday.

“Jed, a little like Yoenis [Cespedes], is demonstrating that the quality of his at-bats has not declined with his layoff,” Van Wagenen said. “We saw that yesterday with his double off deGrom on a 3-2 count, and then he worked a walk off another 3-2 count in his second at-bat.

“As he progresses, too, we’re going to continue to learn more about his explosiveness and his ability to run with effectiveness and also play defense with effectiveness. But the energy level and the effort that he’s shown early in camp has been encouraging.”

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The New York Mets announced on Tuesday that Matt Harvey will make his second rehab start for the Brooklyn Cyclones on Wednesday.

Harvey, 28, pitched for the Cyclones against the Hudson Valley Renegades last week and tossed one inning on 18 pitches. His fastball clocked in the low 90s.

The right-hander is working his way back from a stress fracture in his right shoulder. While being examined, doctor’s discovered the muscles in his shoulder had atrophied, which was why he was fizzling out very early on in starts.

The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. with gates opening at 5:30 at MCU Park.

The post Matt Harvey To Rehab In Brooklyn Wednesday appeared first on Metsmerized.

National Anthem during the 2014 NYPL All-Star Game (Photo by Jim Mancari)

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – MCU Park in Coney Island had the feel of Miller Park in Milwaukee circa July, 2002.

That’s because this year’s 10th annual New York-Penn League (NYPL) All-Star Game finished in a 1-1 tie – just like the 2002 MLB Midsummer’s Classic.

Six Brooklyn Cyclones played Tuesday night in the All-Star Game, representing the South team. It was the second time the Cyclones hosted the league’s All-Star Game – the first was the first-ever game in 2005 – and the first time the 14 teams in the league were split into North and South teams rather than American versus National League affiliates.

Marcos Molina (Photo by Jim Mancari)

Cyclones’ right-hander Marcos Molina started the game for the South All-Stars and turned in a scoreless opening inning, giving up only a two-out single while striking out two. The 19-year-old is 6-2 in 10 starts this summer and is second in the league with a 1.58 ERA. He leads the NYPL with 73 strikeouts and a 0.83 WHIP.

Molina getting the start marked the sixth time in franchise history that a Cyclone has started the All-Star Game, as well as the third straight. Bobby Parnell started the first-ever NYPL All-Star Game in 2005. Mark Cohoon (2009), Yohan Almonte (2010), Luis Mateo (2012) and Miller Diaz (2013) have all earned starting nods in the game.

The other Cyclones’ starter was 18-year-old shortstop Amed Rosario, who batted second in the lineup for the South. He flew out to right field in the first inning and was robbed of a base hit in his second at-bat in the fourth.

For the year, Rosario is batting .286 with 36 runs scored, 14 extra-base hits and 19 RBI. He currently sits third in the NYPL with 66 hits and is tied for the league-lead with five triples.

Cyclones’ righty Corey Oswalt pitched the top of the fourth inning. He surrendered two hits but was able to escape the jam unscathed. In 10 games this season, he’s 6-1 with a 2.26 ERA – third in the NYPL – and has allowed two runs or less in eight of his nine starts.

Cyclones’ third baseman Jhoan Ureña entered the game in the sixth inning, hitting into a fielder’s choice in his first at-bat and grounding out in his second. He’s the only player in the NYPL to appear in all 63 games, and he leads the league in hits (71) and at-bats (240) and is fifth in RBI (38). At just 19 years old, he became the only player in Cyclones’ franchise history to record three hitting streaks of 10 or more games in the same season.

Cyclones’ right fielder Michael Bernal also entered the game as a reserve. He struck out to end the bottom of the seventh inning. Though he’s third in the NYPL with 77 strikeouts on the season, he’s tied for the Cyclones’ team lead with five home runs and is second on the team with 30 RBI. He also leads the team in stolen bases (10) and outfield assists (eight).

Cyclones’ lefty closer Shane Bay entered with two outs in the top of the ninth inning and needed only one pitch to retire the side. He ranks second in the league with 13 saves and has held his opponents scoreless in 14 of his 17 appearances.

In addition to these six players, the Cyclones’ coaches, including first-year manager Tom Gamboa, served as the active staff for the South team during the game.

Before the game, MCU Park was the site of a celebrity/civil servant softball challenge presented by Mercedes Benz of Brooklyn and the Tic Toc Stop Foundation. The game featured members of the FDNY, NYPD and DSNY alongside stars from the world of sports, television and beyond, including Boomer Esiason, Craig Carton, John Franco, Steve Lavin, Chris Mullin, Rosanna Scotto and the Impractical Jokers.

After the softball game, Esiason, Carton, Franco and Lavin all participated in an on-field ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

The Cyclones (35-28) currently hold a full 1.0-game lead in the Wild Card race over the Connecticut Tigers with just 13 games remaining. Brooklyn resumes action Wednesday night to take on the Staten Island Yankees before returning home Thursday.

Click here to view the complete box score from the All-Star Game.

Boomer Esiason, Craig Carton, John Franco and Steve Lavin accept the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. (Photo by Jim Mancari)

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Jhoan Urena plated the winning run with a walk off single. (Photo by Jim Mancari)

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – It was a long night of baseball Wednesday at MCU Park in Coney Island, but the Brooklyn Cyclones emerged in a better position than when the night started.

The Cyclones (31-28) split a seven-inning doubleheader against the Lowell Spinners, the Single-A short season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, both by a score of 3-2.

A walkoff single by Jhoan Ureña in extra innings of the second game gave Brooklyn a needed win after dropping the first contest. The split, coupled with the Connecticut Tigers getting swept in a doubleheader, brings the Cyclones within a half game of the Wild Card lead in the New York-Penn League (NYPL).

The 19-year-old Ureña finished the day 3-for-7 with three RBI. After hitting safely in both games, the All-Star third baseman now has a nine-game hitting streak. He’s also the only player in the NYPL to play in all 59 games this season.

Defense was a bit of a problem for the Cyclones in the doubleheader, as the team committed four errors. All five Spinners’ runs were scored due to an error that started or prolonged a rally. Ureña made an error in Game 2, which led to the tying run scoring, but he rebounded two innings later to plate the winning run.

“I just moved past it,” Ureña said of the error. “It was an error, it happens. I just kept my head up, and all I could think about was the game now. I couldn’t think about the past.”

Brooklyn mounted a rally in the final inning of Game 1, but with the tying and winning runs on base, Mets’ first-round draft pick Michael Conforto struck out swinging on a ball he fouled tipped into the catcher’s glove. He’s cooled off with the bat slightly but is still hitting .319 (30-for-94) on the season.

In Game 2, Martires Arias turned in another solid effort in his second start for the Cyclones since being called up from Kingsport. His first start (6.0 shutout innings with six strikeouts) earned him NYPL Pitcher of the Week honors last week.

The 6-foot, 8-inch righty from the Dominican Republic turned in two scoreless innings to start the game, which ran his scoreless innings streak between Kingsport and Brooklyn to 24.0 innings, but he surrendered a run in the top of third inning.

He was lifted after 5.1 innings, giving up five hits and two runs (both earned) while walking none and striking out seven.

“We’re very pleasantly surprised with how good his (Arias) command is,” said Cyclones’ manager Tom Gamboa. “I think he did a terrific job. We’re real proud of him, and I think he’s shown tremendous poise and composure here.”

All-Star shortstop Amed Rosario also had a solid day at the plate, collecting three hits, two walks and three run scored. He led off the eighth inning of Game 2 with a single to right field and scored the game-winning run on Ureña’s walkoff hit.

With less than 20 games to go, the playoff race should be intense down the stretch.

“It looks like it’s going to go right down the wire,” Gamboa said. “If we would have lost two tonight, that would have really, really hurt.”

The Cyclones return to action Thursday night at MCU Park looking for a sweep over the Spinners. Righty Corey Oswalt (5-1, 2.84 ERA), who was selected to Tuesday’s All-Star Game, takes the mound to close out the series.

Click here to view the complete box score from these games.

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Octavio Acosta (Photo by Jim Mancari)

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Thursday night at MCU Park in Coney Island was Irish Heritage Night.

But unfortunately for the Brooklyn Cyclones, the “luck of the Irish” was nowhere to be found.

The Cyclones (24-23) dropped a 14-3 contest to the Auburn Doubledays, the Single-A short season affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Brooklyn had won five straight games before the loss.

Cyclones’ starter Octavio Acosta fell to 3-3 on this season, as he lasted just 3.0 innings while giving up six runs (four earned) on five hits while walking two. It was the second straight night in which the Cyclones’ starting pitcher lasted just less than four innings.

“It was an ugly game,” said Cyclones’ manager Tom Gamboa. “Acosta has pitched so good this year. The first four hitters of the game was typical him. But as soon as he walked a guy with one out in the second, he just completely lost it.”

Meanwhile, after the game, Acosta was promoted to the Savannah Sand Gnats.

The Cyclones trailed 4-2 heading into the top of the fourth inning, but reliever Brandon Welch struggled through the next two innings, giving up eight earned runs.

Welch surrendered two home runs – a rarity at MCU Park. Auburn first baseman Jose Marmolejos hit a two-run shot to left, and left fielder Jeff Gardner drilled a three-run bomb deep into a right field bleachers – where balls typically get knocked down from the wind coming off the water.

“I’ve never seen a ball by a left-handed hitter (Gardner) hit like that in this park,” Gamboa said.

In total, Cyclones’ pitchers surrendered 14 hits to go along with 10 walks and three hit-batsmen. That usually is not a successful recipe for a win.

First-round draft pick Michael Conforto had a rough day at the plate. He hit a few balls squarely but ultimately finished 0-for-5 with four runners left on base. He’s still hitting .367 through his first 13 games in which the Cyclones are 9-4.

On the bright side, four Cyclones – shortstop Amed Rosario, right fielder Michael Bernal, second baseman/catcher Tyler Moore and center fielder Tucker Tharp – all had multi-hit games.

Brooklyn will try to win the series against the Doubledays Friday night at 7 p.m. at MCU Park. It will be Gil Hodges bobblehead night, and righty Corey Oswalt (4-1, 2.56 ERA) takes the hill looking to continue his strong summer season.

Click here to view the complete box score from this game.

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Corey Oswalt recorded a career-high eight strikeouts in the Cyclones’ win Tuesday night. (Photo by Jim Mancari

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Talk about a complete 360-degree turnaround.

Just one night after an embarrassing loss, the Brooklyn Cyclones (3-2) excelled in all facets of the game Tuesday night at MCU Park in Coney Island, as they notched a 5-1 victory over the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Single-A short season affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

San Diego native Corey Oswalt made his first start for Brooklyn, and the 6-foot, 4-inch righty looked a whole lot like Roy Oswalt, as he tallied a career-high eight strikeouts in six scoreless innings while walking none and only giving up three hits to pick up the win.

“Oswalt is an all-the-time strike-thrower,” Cyclones manager Tom Gamboa said. “He’s got as good or better command of all of his pitches than anybody here at this point. But stuff-wise, I never saw him pitch like that in Florida. He really pitched well and set a great tone.”

Oswalt missed the majority of last season with a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, so he was pleased to turn in a solid effort.

“I felt really good,” said Oswalt, whose ball had plenty of late movement that induced a ton of swings and misses. “I was just really mentally prepared for my start. I just trusted the game plan that I had going into it and trusted what my catcher was putting down.”

The Cyclones struck offensively in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run triple to right center by first baseman and College of William and Mary product Michael Katz. Catcher Tomas Nido drove in Katz on a groundout to give Brooklyn an early 3-0 lead.

From there, Oswalt was cruising, retiring 10 straight batters from the first through fourth innings.

Joe Tuschak has been swinging a hot bat, including a home run Tuesday night. (Photo by Jim Mancari)

Left fielder Joe Tuschak, who was the only bright spot in Monday’s loss after a 3-for-4 performance, hit the first home run for any Cyclone this season in the bottom of the fourth to add to the lead. He turned on an inside fastball, and it just cleared the wall down the right field line. Hitting a ball out to right field at MCU Park is no easy task, so Tuschak was excited that the ball cleared the fence.

“I honestly didn’t think it was gone,” said Tuschak, who also drove in a run in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly. “I thought it just hit off the wall and took off to the left, so I was trying to a get a triple. Then they said it was out, and I was very surprised and very happy.”

Right-handed reliever Scarlyn Reyes pitched the final three innings to pick up the save. The native of Bayaguana, Dominican Republic, gave up an unearned run and struck out four over the final three frames.

“All in all, there were a lot of good things that happened for us tonight,” Gamboa said. “That’s good because it’s a confidence builder for the kids, especially coming off an ugly game last night.”

The Cyclones start a five-game road trip Wednesday as they head to Hudson Valley for two and then to Aberdeen to play the Ironbirds for three.

Lefty flame-thrower Alberto Baldonado gets the ball for Brooklyn Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. In 29.2 innings for Kingsport last year, he struck out 41 batters, which translates to a 12.4 K/9 ratio.

Click here to view the complete box score from this game.

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Cyclones righty Gaither Bumgardner was the tough luck loser Monday night. (Photo by Jim Mancari)

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – It’s never a good sign when a baseball team has more errors than runs scored.

That was the case Monday night for the Brooklyn Cyclones (2-2), who dropped a 7-2 contest to the Staten Island Yankees at MCU Park in Coney Island – which evened the opening four-game series at two games apiece.

The Cyclones committed four errors and only managed two runs in the loss. In addition to shoddy defense, the team struck out 11 times – six looking – walked nine opposing hitters and even balked in a run. All in all, it was a game that manager Tom Gamboa hopes the team will put in its rearview mirror immediately.

“This was a typical rookie league game,” he said. “That’s all I can say about it.”

Only two of the Yankees’ seven runs were actually recorded as runs batted in – a bases-loaded walk and an RBI groundout – and only three of the seven runs were earned. The Yankees also wound up with more runs (seven) than hits (six).

Lefty Carlos Valdez, who was 2-2 with a 2.58 ERA in nine starts last season for Brooklyn, started the game and lasted four innings. He surrendered two runs but walked six batters, which ultimately led to his early exit.

“Carlos Valdez had real good stuff,” Gamboa said. “They didn’t hit him, but he was a victim of himself.”

Down 2-0, the Cyclones scored a run each in the second and third innings to tie the game. Designated hitter Tomas Nido scored on a fielder’s choice error in the second, and shortstop Amed Rosario plated left fielder Joe Tuschak – who finished 3-for-4 on the night – on a sacrifice fly in the third.

Right-hander Gaither Bumgardner relieved Valdez and pitched better than his numbers show. He gave up four runs in four innings, but they were all unearned as the Cyclones committed three errors behind him.

“I really thought Gaither Bumgardner pitched well tonight,” Gamboa said. “It’s a shame he took the loss, but he was victimized by our own defense. We shot ourselves in the foot with the three errors we made in the two innings.”

Two of those three errors were committed by right fielder Michael Bernal. He misplayed a scorching line drive that plated two runs and then bobbled a ball on a single, which allowed another run to score.

“There’s no question he (Bernal) had a tough night tonight,” Gamboa said.

Through four games, the Cyclones have now committed nine errors. The team ranked second in the New York-Penn League last year in fielding percentage, so Gamboa hopes his team’s defense will improve.

“The guys are trying,” Gamboa said. “They’re young, and they’re going to make mistakes. We hope that we can come back tomorrow and clean a lot of this stuff up in practice and play better tomorrow night.”

The Cyclones can put this tough loss behind them right away as they’ll host the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Single-A short season affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Click here to view the complete box score of this game.

The post Defensive Miscues, Walks Haunt Cyclones In Loss appeared first on Metsmerized.

I hope you all enjoyed my coverage of the Brooklyn Cyclones this summer. I certainly did!

It was great to meet and interact with many of the team’s recent draft picks to see what’s in store for the future. And of course, Rich Donnelly is an awesome baseball mind, so it was great to hear his perspective each night.

Below is a Q&A between myself and the MMO staff discussing the Cyclones’ season. It may be a bit early to tell if some of this summer’s Cyclones will soon be playing at Citi Field, but a few certainly have some potential for down the road.

1. After following and covering the Brooklyn Cyclones for our sites this season, you got to see and talk to many of the players and the coaches as well. What I’d like to know is what were your overall thoughts on the relationship between the players and coaches. Was there anything in particular you could share with us about that particular dynamic and the role it plays in the player development process. 

With many of the Cyclones fresh out of college, having a coaching staff that is involved is vital to a young player’s success. That was exactly the scene in Brooklyn.

Manager Rich Donnelly, pitching coach Marc Valdes and hitting coach Bobby Malek are great with the young guys. Donnelly in particular has now been in this role for a few seasons, and while he’s focused on winning, he understands that his main responsibility is to prepare his players for the next level. Donnelly sometimes got to MCU Park at 10 a.m. for a 7 p.m. game, which shows his tireless dedication. He routinely talked to his players during batting practice to help with any adjustments or to just see how they were doing.

That’s the type of atmosphere that works in the low minor leagues, and Donnelly again did his part in fostering the environment for his players to be successful. Though the team missed the playoffs this season, a few of this summer’s Cyclones already seem like they can be primary contributors at St. Lucie or Savannah next season.

2. Which 2-3 players were you most impressed with this season and do you foresee them as future contributors at the big league level. Tell us a little bit about them and what stood out the most to you.

I was very impressed this summer with Robert Gsellman, John Mincone, L.J. Mazzilli and Gavin Cecchini. I liked how Gsellman could go deep into games, which is usually a rare feat among short-season Single-A pitchers. This was his third year with the Mets organization, so Brooklyn likely wasn’t his primary destination, but he pitched very well, which allowed him to get the call for starts in Savannah and St. Lucie later in the summer. He’s still only 20, so let’s keep an eye on him the next few seasons.

John Mincone could be a big-league contributor someday, but he really has to stay healthy. Both his summers in Brooklyn were cut short due to injury. But when he’s on the mound, the lefty has looked great, as evidenced by his back-to-back selections to the NYPL All-Star Game.

L.J. Mazzilli had all the hype from being Lee Mazzilli’s son, and L.J. did a fine job in his first professional season. He pretty much batted over .300 all summer, but a thumb injury late caused his average to slip to .278. He even showed a little bit of pop and played a nice defensive second base. It’s still a bit early with him as well, but an offensive-minded second baseman is always a plus.

As for Cecchini, he got off to a very cold start offensively and then suffered a high ankle sprain. But once he came back healthy, he was on fire with the bat. He actually hit into much tough luck, as often he’d rocket a ball right at a defender. Even so, to finish at .273 from where he started the season is very impressive.

But most impressive about Gavin is his calm demeanor and his glove. Defensively, he made a few big-league-type plays and showed he already has great arm strength. It’s that defense that can carry him to the next level and beyond. He will need to hit, and he must be sure to try to avoid long slumps. He’s only 19, so he definitely is in this team’s plans somewhere down the line.

3. On the flip side, were there any prospects that gave you some pause or concerns about their future as a major leaguer?

Seventh-round draft pick Matt Oberste had a bit of a rough go of it this summer. I have to say, he did come up with a few big hits, but his .208 batting average and 56 strikeouts may force him to remain another summer in Brooklyn. He went through a few long hitless streaks, which shows he did not quite master the baseball art of making adjustments.

4. Which pitchers had the best fastball, curveball and slider?

The best fastball on the team was split between Akeel Morris and Johnny Magliozzi. The ball just explodes out of Morris’ hand, and we’ll get to him in the next question, but Magliozzi, who is listed at a generous five-feet 10-inches, could really bring it from the closer’s role. He took over after Mincone went down with injury and wound up picking up nine saves.

Lefty reliever David Wynn had the best curveball on the staff. It sat in the high 70s-low 80s and had plenty of bite.

All-Star Miller Diaz relied on his slider for his out pitch this summer. He got plenty of strikeouts on the pitch but also plenty of foul balls. Donnelly said after one game that Diaz’s pitch counts were elevated since he had trouble putting guys away.

Finally, John Gant had the team’s best change-up. He really had his change working in a memorable performance this summer when he threw a one-hitter and faced the minimum. He’s a tall, lanky guy with a good fastball, so having that change-up is a great change of pace for him.

5. Which position players showcased the best power and the best speed?

Alex Sanchez and James Roche displayed some good power. Sanchez hit some monstrous home runs, which is very difficult at MCU Park. Roche meanwhile led the team with five home runs and went through a stretch where it seemed like all his hits were for extra bases.

As for speed, Patrick Biondi took care of that category. He led the Cyclones with 17 stolen bases while only being caught four times. He dealt with a wrist injury, but still, he’d come in late in games to pinch run even when he couldn’t hit.

6. What did you think of Akeel Morris’ season? Do you see success in the cards for him as a reliever or as a starter?

From how Rich Donnelly spoke early in the year about Morris, he must have really have had a rough go of it in extended spring training. Morris was apparently walking a ton of batters, which came back to bite him.

But all summer, Morris threw the ball extremely well. He settled into a piggy-back role with lefty Dario Alvarez, but in conversations with him, I could tell that he wanted to be a full-time starter.

But frankly, I see his value as more of a late-inning reliever or even a closer based on his ability to strikeout opposing hitters. His small frame also would suggest that he could be better suited as a reliever. Either way, he’s just another talented pitching prospect to keep an eye on in the Mets’ system.

The post Brooklyn Cyclones Season Recap Q&A appeared first on Metsmerized.

But for the Brooklyn Cyclones, making the playoffs has basically been a perennial feat.

However, the 2013 summer short season ended without a postseason berth for the Cyclones for just the fourth time in the team’s 13-year existence.

It is important to note though that the team has now finished at or above .500 (38-37) in all 13 of its seasons, making the Cyclones one of only four teams in affiliated baseball – the Arizona League Giants, the Elizabethton Twins and the New York Yankees – to never finish below .500 since 2001.

Right from the start of the summer, it seemed the Cyclones just couldn’t find their rhythm. Though it’s by no means an excuse, the weather certainly didn’t cooperate at MCU Park in Coney Island the first few weeks.

Almost every home game, the Cyclones were forced to wait out one or even two rain delays. And in games where there were no weather delays, Brooklyn wound up playing a number of extra-inning games, including a marathon 16-inning game.

Manager Rich Donnelly continuously said, “That’s baseball, there is no clock,” in response to questions about how to deal with the delays and extra-inning games. But he did say that the start of this season was the strangest given the circumstances in all his years in professional baseball.

Despite not getting off to a great start, the Cyclones began picking up their game and were in the playoff hunt right until the end of the season. That’s all you can ask of a young team finding their way.

Mets’ great Lee Mazzilli’s son, second baseman L.J. Mazzilli, led the Cyclones with a .278 batting average. He sat above .300 for most of the summer, but a hand injury late in the season caused him to cool off down the stretch. He also led the team in RBI with 34.

Mets’ 2012 first-round draft pick, shortstop Gavin Cecchini, had a solid all-around season. His bat was a bit cool to start the year, but once he returned from a high ankle sprain, he was red hot offensively. He rattled off a 16-game hitting streak and began spraying line drives all over the field. He finished the year hitting .273.

But for Cecchini, his strength is his defense, and he showed that this summer. He has a great arm and gets to a lot of balls with his range. His glove can carry him to the next level, but he’ll have to maintain a steady bat.

After an extremely cold start, right fielder James Roche rebounded to take some strides offensively. He led the team with five home runs and displayed good power to the gaps. But he must cut down on his strikeouts to be considered a legitimate prospect.

While the Cyclones’ offense was streaky, the pitching really held its own this summer. Starting pitchers Miller Diaz (2.03), Rob Gsellman (2.06), Carlos Valdez (2.58) and John Gant (2.89) all recorded an ERA under 3.00. Diaz, Gsellman and Gant were each named to the All-Star team.

Diaz led the staff with seven wins and 87 strikeouts. He sometimes had trouble putting batters away, which led to some high pitch counts, but the talent is there.

Gsellman seemed to be the hard luck pitcher on the staff, as he barely received any run support. But he still pitched well enough to be able to make an impact at the next level next season.

Akeel Morris, who struggled in extended spring training, really impressed the Mets’ brass, so much so that Jeff Wilpon ventured to MCU Park to check him out. With a fastball sitting in the low-to-mid 90s, Morris could have a future as a big-league reliever.

It seems he still considers himself as a starter, but he thrived in a long-relief role this summer. He finished 4-1 with a 1.00 ERA.

Other relievers John Mincone and Johnny Magliozzi found success in the closer’s role. Mincone was named an All-Star after posting a 1.47 ERA and six saves, but a lower back injury ended his season early. Magliozzi stepped right in and saved nine games with a 1.17 ERA.

Though the Cyclones’ season did not continue deeper into September, the team still accomplished what it set out to do at the beginning of the season: provide an entertaining quality of baseball to an area of Brooklyn that was hit hard last fall during Hurricane Sandy.

The “Meaningful Mondays,” in which a portion of each ticket sold went to local charities aiding in Sandy recovery, were a nice touch to help the surrounding communities still in need from the superstorm.

For the 13th consecutive season, the Cyclones led the New York-Penn League in attendance.

It was a fun summer at Coney Island, and we’ll hopefully be seeing some of these faces at Citi Field in the near future – especially some of the talented young pitchers to go along with the already-talented crop of pitchers the Mets are developing.

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