Now that the 2023 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 High-A Brooklyn Cyclones of the South Atlantic League.
Minor League Mondays Affiliate Review: Brooklyn Cyclones
2023 Record: 66-65, Fifth Place in South Atlantic League North Division
Story: The Cyclones were an intriguing affiliate for the Mets as a lot of top prospects spent time on Coney Island this summer. The first half was a struggle for Brooklyn, which went 28-37 to finish in last in the SAL’s North Division, but the team turned it around in the second half to go 38-28 and finish in a tie for first. That result nearly enabled the Cyclones to qualify for the playoffs since the lower levels of the minors splits their season into halves to account for promotions, but Brooklyn missed out on a tiebreaker. In the end, however, Cyclones’ manager Chris Newell did a strong job developing players and keeping the team competitive all season long.
Top Promotion: Seinfeld night is always a staple in Brooklyn and the 2023 version was another classic. The first 2,500 fans in attendance received a bobblehead of George Costanza pulling a Titleist golf ball out of a whale’s blowhole to commemorate the Marine Biologist episode of the classic show. The Cyclones also became the Brooklyn Pretty Boys for a night to commemorate Keith Hernandez’s Seinfeld episode and the Elaine dance contest was again a standout for in-game entertainment.
Top Prospects:
C Kevin Parada: Parada, the Mets’ first-round pick in 2022 out of Georgia Tech, spent most of the year with the Cyclones and had some strong numbers. In 87 games for Brooklyn Parada hit .265 with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs, earning him a late-season promotion to AA Binghamton. Parada is currently rated as the Mets’ fifth-best prospect according to MLB.com.
RHP Blade Tidwell: Tidwell, the Mets’ second-round pick in 2022 out of Tennessee, spent most of his first full professional season in Brooklyn and pitched very well. In 17 starts for the Cyclones Tidwell went 8-3 with a 3.09 ERA, striking out 112 batters in 81.2 innings pitched to earn a late-season promotion to AA Binghamton. Tidwell is currently rated as the Mets’ 10th-best prospect according to MLB.com.
RHP Tyler Stuart: Stuart, the Mets’ sixth-round pick in 2022 out of Southern Miss as a reliever, became a full-time starter for Brooklyn and took the minor leagues by storm early in the season. The Cyclone saw Stuart post the lowest ERA in the entire minor leagues during his tenure as he went 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 84 batters in 75.2 innings pitched to earn a promotion to AA Binghamton. Stuart is currently rated as the Mets’ 17th-best prospect according to MLB.com.
Check back next week as we continue our climb up the minor league ladder with a look at the AA Binghamton Rumble Ponies!
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