Life On The Beach

Brooklyn, New York, the most populated of the five boroughs of New York City has seen its fair share of changes since 2000 like most of the city has. Properties have been rezoned which has paved the way for luxurious towers in areas such as DUMBO. Sections such as Park Slope, Williamsburg, and Bedford-Stuyvesant are buzzing as people are flocking to Brooklyn as if the borough has gold and silver in its foundation. Part of Brooklyn’s revitalization includes Coney Island which is still home to the world famous Cyclone, the New York Aquarium, and millions of beach goers each summer. But what about baseball on the beach?

In 2001, baseball came to Coney Island when the Brooklyn Cyclones took the field and they’ve been shown nothing but love from their first day. The Cyclones are a Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets who like most minor-league teams almost become a member of the family to the fans that follow them. When the Cyclones began selling tickets, they sold like hotcakes and they have continued to be a staple in Brooklyn and Coney Island for more than 15 years. Five McNamara Division Titles have gone the way of the Cyclones since 2001 with the last one coming in 2010. And aside for all of that, the Cyclones have become a hotbed for producing talent that ends up in Major League Baseball.

In last year’s World Series alone, a combined 10 players from the Kansas City Royals and Mets got their start with the Cyclones, while other current Major League Baseball players such as Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Scott Kazmir and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Ezequiel Carrera got their professional starts in Brooklyn as well.

This year’s version of the Cyclones started off slow in the New York-Penn League, but they’ve gotten it going as they’ve won their last four of their last six contests. The Cyclones have picked up their play as their roster is filling out with the signing of more Mets draft picks.

Starting pitcher Justin Dunn was the 19th overall pick of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft after he helped the Boston College Eagles make their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2009. It’s a homecoming of sorts for Dunn who is a native of Freeport, New York and the small town in Nassau County is just 26.5 away from Citi Field in Queens. In two appearances with the Cyclones this year, Dunn is 1-0 and he has not surrendered a run so far this year. The expectations are high for Dunn being that he was the Mets first pick in 2016, but as a pitcher in the Mets system, Dunn can take solace in knowing of the franchise’s rich pitching history which includes the current Mets roster that features the likes of starting pitchers Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Jacob deGrom, and Zack Wheeler as he has an opportunity to one day add his name to that mix.

Like Dunn, starting pitcher Anthony Kay was a Mets first-round pick here in 2016. But until this past Wednesday, Kay was the only draft pick in the first 10 rounds that was still unsigned by the Mets. The Mets and Kay came to an agreement on a $1.1 million signing bonus and he’ll soon be suiting up for the Cyclones. Just like Dunn, Kay is a Long Island product as he went to Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. This was the same high school that produced Matz who was the Mets second-round pick in 2009. The Mets originally drafted Kay in 2013 in the 29th round out of high school, but he elected to attend the University of Connecticut instead. However this time around the stakes were raised as the Mets re-selected Kay in the first round which meant more money for youngster.

First baseman Peter Alonso was the Mets second round pick this year after he helped the Florida Gators reach the College World Series. Alonso has been as good as advertised and then some as he is leading the Cyclones in batting average .333 while providing good glove work at first base as he should be moving up in the Mets organization pretty soon.

Like Kay, the Mets recently signed their fourth-round pick in shortstop Michael Paez. Paez is fresh off of helping the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers win the College World Series which included defeating Alonso’s Florida team in the first game at Omaha. Paez signed with the Mets last Wednesday and made his debut with Brooklyn on July 13 as he went 2-for-4 with a bases on balls in the Cyclones win over the Aberdeen IronBirds who are the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

Under the guidance of manager Tom Gamboa, the Cyclones find themselves right in the mix for the postseason as they are four games behind the Staten Island Yankees for first place in the McNamara Division, and three games behind the Lowell Spinners and Connecticut Tigers for the wild card spot.

The Cyclones dropped a heart breaker last night to the Spinners 1-0. Cyclones starting pitcher Harol Gonzalez took a no-hitter into the seventh inning last night, but he was unable to get the run support behind him as Brooklyn had two runners thrown out at the plate, including shortstop Colby Woodmansee to end the game.

But through it all the Cyclones organization has the support of the local fans who always come out to MCU Park as they have the highest attendance in the New York-Penn League. This is a credit to the baseball fans of Brooklyn who know that there is constant roster upheaval with the Cyclones, but they have the opportunity to potentially see the future stars of tomorrow. With numerous giveaways for the fans, the backdrop of the Coney Island, and the one man band that is “King Henry” hyping up the crowds, MCU Park continues to sizzle like Nathan’s hot dogs. And just like Coney Island’s hot dogs and the boardwalk, the Cyclones are here to stay.