Cyclones’ Ewing earns Player of the Week honors

As part of the Cyclones’ six-game sweep of the Winston-Salem Dash, second baseman/outfielder A.J. Ewing played a major part in the last homestand and was named the South Atlantic League’s Player of the Week (May 13-18). Over those six games Ewing was 9-for-18 (.500) with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs, five runs scored and six stolen bases. 

Since his April 29 call-up from Low Single-A St. Lucie, Ewing has quickly become a fan favorite as he’s been on a tear since coming to Brooklyn. According to Ewing, the Mets coaching staff wanted see how the 20-year-old from Ohio performed to start the season before a promotion to High-A. That waiting period did not take long as Ewing dominated the Florida State League with a .400 batting average after just 18 games.

Now, as a member of the Cyclones, Ewing has carried over his hot hitting (.348) from Florida and has been a terror on the base paths with 14 steals in the last 16 games.  

Growing up in a Cincinnati suburb, Ewing stood out on his Springboro H.S. team, where he dreamed of playing in the majors. Making the decision to commit to baseball, he entered the draft upon graduation.

“It’s always been my dream to play professional baseball, not college baseball,” said the Mets’ 2023 eighth-round pick.

It may be a stretch, but coming from the Cincinnati area, Ewing’s hustle and hitting remind fans of a young Pete Rose. Like Cincinnati’s native son, Ewing is solid defensively, also a contact hitter who hits for average and is a speedster on the bases.

As a part of the Cyclones’ 7-2 win last week over Winston-Salem, Ewing went to the opposite field to hit an RBI double off Maimonides Park’s high left field wall.

“I take pride in myself to be able to hit to all fields,” he said.