Brooklyn-born pitcher debuts for Cyclones 

During this first month of the baseball season, the 5-15 Brooklyn Cyclones have oddly enough mirrored the subpar .500 record of their New York Mets parent team. Although Mets fans are frustrated with the performance of their team, Cyclone fans can afford to be more patient as they watch potential major leaguers emerge and develop at the Coney Island minor league affiliate.

Such is the case for Brooklyn-born right-handed pitcher Channing Austin, who is the second Brooklyn native to join the Cyclones. Jaylen Palmer, in 2018, was the first.

Austin first starred for Poly Prep and won two New York State high school titles before coming out of USC to sign with the Mets as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He spent 2025 with Low-A St. Lucie and then helped the Cyclones win the championship upon his September call-up to Brooklyn. Now during the Cyclones’ rough start, he is refining his craft at High-A Brooklyn as a starting pitcher. He had an 0-1 record after four starts, with 18 strikeouts in 16 innings, a 1.62 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.

Austin’s last two pitching performances on the road at Hudson Valley were dominant. In a 5-3 loss to the Renegades, he had a no-decision after pitching five innings of shutout ball with eight strikeouts. Then, in the first game of a doubleheader, he again did not figure in the Cyclones’ 6-2 win as he was pulled out on a pitch count after five innings, holding the Renegades scoreless on 72 pitches with three strikeouts.

“Anytime I leave the mound, I want to give my team the best opportunity to win,” said the 24-year-old prospect.

Austin subscribes to the tactic of getting two strikes as soon as possible, and then to use his assortment of pitches to put away the batter. He features four basic pitches that include a fastball, slider, curve and changeup, all of which he claims are equally strong pitches.

Some observers have labeled his changeup as “nasty” as he delivers it from the mound with a quick leg-kick combined with a long stride and a buggy whip-like finish. Austin says he stays in control by adapting his pitches to the situation.

“We’re taught to pitch to our strengths instead of to the batter’s weakness,” he said.

Returning to Brooklyn to play, Austin is relishing his time at Coney Island as his family and friends get to see him develop on the mound. Speaking to the Prospect Lefferts Gardens native, you get the feeling that he really loves baseball and has Brooklyn in his bones.

“Growing up here, I played at all the Brooklyn ballparks. I even grew up just four blocks away from Ebbets Field,” he said.

Austin recounted that once during the COVID-19 pandemic, he and a friend squeezed through a hole in the fence at the closed Parade Grounds just to play baseball since the game had been shut down. Little did Austin know that his trespass had been observed and a subsequent article was featured in the New York Times by a reporter who saw the boys playing on the field.

Now at the High-A level, Austin says he is simply focused on his gradual development as he plays just one game at a time. Given that mindset, it’s evident that he’s bought into a measured learning process that will bring him success.