Cyclones’ pitching is something to bark about

Despite the Cyclones’ sub-.500 season record, the club’s pitching stats have been at the top of the South Atlantic League. Recently, Tyler Stuart has been a key contributor to those numbers since the beginning of the season. With just a 1-0 record along with a number of no-decisions, the 23-year-old 6-foot-9 starter has dwarfed the competition over 44 innings for 52 strikeouts with an ERA of 1.43.

Currently Stuart’s ERA is tops in the Sally League, as well as in all of minor league baseball. His low ERA has also factored into the Cyclones’ success in the last three weeks of May, where the team’s ERA reached a leading low of 2.25.

After dominating in relief two years ago and making spot starts in 2022 for Southern Mississippi, the Kankakee, Ill. native was signed by the New York Mets as a sixth-round draft pick. Signing late in August and appearing in just two games at St. Lucie, this is Stuart’s first full season of minor league ball.

A significant factor in Stuart’s effectiveness this year has been the development of his slider. Reported to be at a major league level, Stuart uses it as his “out pitch” and as the fifth pitch in his arsenal.

“Over the winter I knew I had to develop an additional pitch, and the Mets’ pitching staff helped me to develop a slider during spring training,” Stuart said.

In recent years, the slider has become the most successful pitch to cross up a batter for a strikeout since the ball comes to the plate looking like a fastball but acts like a curve with a late break. Stuart said his recent success comes from adjusting his grip for the slider according to each batter by applying pressure to different surfaces of the ball as a part of his delivery.

Fortunately for Mets fan Austin Lee, he was able to meet Stuart on “Bark in the Park Night” since the Cyclones pitcher was on the field between starts talking to his visiting family from Illinois.

As the last participant in the canine parade around the park, his cousin Ashley Lee and Johnnie Maderna brought up the rear with Ripley, a 2-year-old Samoyed sled dog, for the final photo of the event. After the photo, when asked whether he was a dog lover, Stuart enthusiastically answered, “Of course, my girlfriend and I share a small Labradoodle with the name of Max.”