Cyclones heat up to sweep home stand

“The newcomers are really putting on show for us along with some of our veterans,” said Cyclones radio broadcast assistant Dana Grey at the conclusion of Brooklyn’s 5-4 win over the Wilmington Blue Rocks for a six-game home sweep. “They’ve got to be the hottest team in the league, winning nine of their last 12 games,” said Grey, referring to the six-game split with the Jersey Shore Blue Claws and the following Wilmington sweep.

Minor league baseball is all about advancement and already fans have seen that movement from the Brooklyn roster with promotions to Double-A Binghamton. Earning roster spots in Binghamton were the Mets’ No. 4 prospect third baseman Brett Baty (.309 BA), relief pitcher Andrew Edwards (31 strikeouts in 24 innings) and starting pitcher Connor Grey, who recently came just two outs short of a no-hitter. In addition to those players, side-arming reliever Josh Hejka earned a promotion to Triple-A to bolster the Syracuse Mets’ bullpen. 

So far during the Cyclones’ second-half resurgence, “veteran” players like Antoine Duplantis, Ronny Mauricio and Francisco Alvarez have produced the extra base hits and home runs that were missing in the first half. And newcomers like second baseman Luis Gonzalez and third baseman Edgardo Fermin have been winning games with their “small ball” contributions. With the game tied 4-4 with two out in the ninth inning in the closing game against Wilmington, Fermin walked, then scrambled to third on a wild pitch and scored on Gonzalez’s infield single. 

One noteworthy newcomer to Brooklyn is Joe Suozzi, the son of Long Island U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi.

“Growing up a Met fan in Glen Cove, Suozzi is living out a dream playing for his team,” said Cyclones lead radio broadcaster Keith Raad.

After playing for Boston College, Suozzi was signed in June 2020 as a minor league free agent. He performed well enough in Low-A St. Lucie (.292 in 30 games) to earn a promotion to High-A Brooklyn and hit his first home in his third game.

“So far he’s made an impact in the lineup playing professionally, said Raad. “He’s working to get better and working to go all the way.”