Now that the 2017 season is over, Minor League Mondays will take a look at each of the New York Mets’ minor league affiliates over the next several weeks. This series will take a look at each affiliate’s season highlights, top prospects, interesting promotions, and more. We continue our climb up the ladder today with a look at the A level Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League.
Minor League Mondays Affiliate Review: Brooklyn Cyclones
2017 Record: 24-52, Fourth Place In McNamara Division
Story: The short season Brooklyn Cyclones, a step above Kingsport on the minor league ladder, had a very rough season in 2017. The Cyclones finished with the worst record in the New York-Penn League, finishing 24-52 and a whopping 22.5 games back of the Staten Island Yankees in the McNamara Division. It was a trying campaign for beloved former Met Edgardo Alfonzo, who took over for Tom Gamboa as manager prior to the season. Alfonzo, who had been a coach on the staff for the last three years, had the unenviable task of trying to develop talent while dealing with a bunch of losses. The true results of Alfonzo’s first season at the helm won’t be known for a few years, when some of the players on this year’s roster advance further in the system.
Top Promotion: The Cyclones have always been known for their wild and wacky promotions, and this year’s top promotion was no exception. On July 19th, MCU Park played host to Villain Night, when the Cyclones paid tribute to some of the top villains in pop culture history. The star of the night was Christopher McDonald, best known for his portrayal of Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, who made an appearance at the game. The Cyclones produced a limited edition Shooter bobblehead and held other villainous activities, such as a Cobra Kai sweep the leg contest, Joker face painting, and a Shooter McGavin inspired Cocoa Puff eating contest.
Top Prospects:
RHP Nicolas Debora: Debora, a 23 year old right hander from the Dominican Republic, had a stellar year in Brooklyn. In 14 appearances (seven starts) for the Cyclones this season, Debora went 1-4 with a 2.33 ERA, striking out 56 batters in 54 innings pitched. Debora received the Sterling Award, the equivalent of a team MVP award, for the Cyclones.
LHP David Peterson: Peterson, the Mets’ first round draft pick this summer, made an abbreviated professional debut for the Cyclones this summer. The Mets limited Peterson to three “starts” in which he tossed a combined 3.2 innings pitched, going 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA. Peterson’s innings were limited due to heavy usage with Oregon this season, but he is expected to be a rapid riser through the farm system due to his experience in college.
OF Quinn Brodey: Brodey, the Mets’ third round draft pick this summer out of Stanford, had a solid introduction to pro ball. In 54 games for the Cyclones, Brodey batted .257 with two homers and 30 RBI’s. The strong showing earned Brodey a late season promotion to Columbia, where he should start next season.
Check back next week as we continue our climb up the ladder with a look at the Low A Columbia Fireflies!
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