I still remember Nick Waechter’s first appearance at Keyspan Park almost two years ago. It was June 22, 2006 and despite giving up two doubles, the then 21-year old, who just finished a brilliant career at West Oregon State College, was solid and looked like he was about to carve a niche as the team’s long man out of the bullpen. However, after that appearance, he suffered a season ending arm injury and didn’t play against the rest of the season.

Last year, Waechter’s season didn’t start off too great either; many writers thought his early season struggles would cause him to be demoted. To make matters worse, the six foot three, 200 pounder wasn’t exactly friendly to the media. That’s not to say he was mean or vindictive, but his one-word answers to questions and intimidating aura had several writers shaking in their boots. Luckily, this writer finds himself at almost six foot five and has some extra baggage. Secondly, I don’t take no for an answer. After a few conversations with him the year before and a few mediocre ones last season, I basically made it one of my goals to get him to open up to the fans and other people interested in him.

I still remember having a conversation with Nick Pauly, who was covering the Staten Island Yankees for Scout.com and Lucky Ngamwajasat, who was writing for NYFansOnly.com about how I was going to get an interview with Waechter and get him to talk for more than 30-seconds. I was just waiting for a good opportunity. As the season wore on, no one really thought I was going to get that interview. After a while, a small part of me was even starting to get angry about it. If I could interview Jonathan Sanchez [he played outfield for the Clones in 2006 and was known for not being a very nice guy to the media] after he struck out four times, why can’t I get this guy to talk to me? Eventually, Waechter got hot, winning a few starts in a row, so I figured I finally had the chance to do it and he’d be a little more receptive. The only problem was how was I going to approach this guy?

I still laugh to myself when I think about what I said to him. Basically, I approached him the same way I’d approached dozens of other players I’ve interviewed over the years. I started off asking to talk to him for a few minutes, but before I turned on my recorder, I told him that I knew he wasn’t really interested in talking to me or any of the other writers and that I felt for him. That put a smirk on his face and basically hooked him. I then told him that the fans would love to hear about his game and that together, we could give that to them. I also told him that it would be like pulling off a Band-Aid as quickly as possible.

What followed after that was one of the most enjoyable interviews I’ve ever done. Funny, straight-forward and an old-school tough guy of sorts, Waechter opened up and eventually started talking to all the writers, becoming one of the players that everyone really enjoyed talking to.

After I interviewed him that day though, none of the other writers really expected to hear that I got enough from him to merit an article. Not only did I get enough for a solid interview, [check it out here @ http://mets.scout.com/2/669448.html] I also got enough for a nice feature in the Brooklyn Papers that totally captured the reasons for his success [again, check it out here, http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/30/33/30_33nickwaechter.html] and another one that basically summed up his roller coaster season on NYSportsDay.com [http://www.nysportsday.com/news/bkn/Waechter-Has-Time-on-his-Side.php]. That in itself made me a very happy camper the rest of the season. Waechter season ended with him looking like a player ready to move through the organization, making it look like he too enjoyed his time as an interviewee.

Chances are Waechter won’t be around Brooklyn this season as he played too good to merit another season in the NY-Penn League, but chances are that he’ll be more open to the media over the course of his career.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr. and Daniel Wos. 

Mets minor leaguer Dylan Owen had perhaps the most unlikely road to superstardom last season, going from a spare part in the bullpen to the Brooklyn Cyclones Ace, winning nine games with a microscopic 1.49 ERA.

Even the team’s coaching staff was surprised how the 2007 tenth round pick performed, as he played a crucial part in the team’s playoff run last season. Nevertheless, they immediately saw that he had the work ethic and drive to succeed in pro ball.

“He has a great make up and works extremely hard. He is the ace of this staff and he’s proved it time and time again this season,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo. “He came to this team with a great attitude and was ready to win.”

Chatting over the phone from his home in Chesterfield, South Carolina, Owen discusses his season last year and what to expect from him in 2008.

DemBrooklynBums.com: Last season, after you were drafted, I asked you what you had planned if a life in professional baseball didn’t pan out. You told me you’d consider being a gym teacher. What are your thoughts on that statement now?

Dylan Owen: I definitely know that I can do it now at that level, but I know it’s going to get tougher at every other level I go to. I’d much rather be a major league ball player than a gym teacher or an athletic director or something like that. My mom always tells me that there weren’t many times when I was a little kid that I didn’t have a baseball in my hand. I always wanted to be a baseball player and that’s how it turned out. I’m living my dream.

DBB: When the season started last year, you weren’t originally in the starting rotation. What do you think will happen this year?

Owen: I think they’ll give me a shot earlier this season based on how I did last year. I think they’ll want me to see how long I can keep this going. I was pretty consistent last season and it wasn’t like I was pitching a good game here and there and then taking a game off every few days, so I think I’ll get my shot to start.

DBB: What do you have to do on the field for that to happen?

I always try to pitch to my strengths. I try and get that first strike and I have three pitches that I can throw for strikes pretty much whenever I want, so that really helps a lot. I try to keep my strikeouts and ground balls up and my walks down, because those walks usually come around to score. When I do that, I’m in good shape.

DBB: After last season, there are expectation for you to continue performing at a high level, what did you do to make sure you were in the type of physical condition to meet those expectations head on?

Owen: I like to work harder every year, no excuses. I ran a little more and worked out a little more than I had before. In college, they tell you not to lift too much, they don’t want you to be too tight, but now, I have to be in a different kind of shape. I’m going to be a lot stronger than I was going to be last season.

DBB: Considering how hard you worked in the offseason, how excited are you to be in camp this year?

Owen: I’m a little more excited than I was last year. Last year, I was more nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. This year I at least know more people and I’m glad. It’s nicer and it’s going to be a great opportunity to earn a spot on a team. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time and I can’t wait to prove myself out on the field.

DBB: How did it feel to be awarded the Sterling Award as the Mets top player in the NY-Penn league, at Shea Stadium last season?

Owen: The field looks the same as ours [Keyspan Park], but when you look around and see all those people, it’s crazy. It was a great feeling.

Photos by Jim Dolan and Daniel Wos.

Two at-bats and a few innings into the 2007 NY-Penn League Season, Mets draft pick Zach Lutz went from being the toast of Brooklyn to finding himself on crutches with a hairline fracture in his left foot for the entire season. Watching him before the season started, there were extremely high hopes for the Alvernia College star, who was expected to be the Cyclones starting third baseman. Even though a combination of J.R.Voyles and Jake Eigsti put up more than solid stats at the position, playing excellent defense and having dependable seasons at the plate, the ‘what could have been’ for Cyclones fans is still a question that begs to be answered.

I still remember how hopeful he sounded a few days after he was drafted when I interviewed him over the phone. It was almost like the kid knew the right answers to my questions and was ready to make a splash. I wondered if he had the moxy and determination on the field to be a force, because let’s be honest here, college ball isn’t exactly the same as playing in the NY-Penn League. Nonetheless, after a 15-minute phone conversation in June, the kid had me itching to see him play.

When I did see him play about a week later at the Cyclones preseason warm-ups, held every year for the media and season ticket holders, I saw why he compared himself to David Eckstein a few days earlier. Quick on his feet and hustling throughout, the media was drooling at the site of him.

Here’s a snippet of the article I wrote the next day…

“…by the end of the workout however, it was obvious that Mets 2007 fifth round pick Zach Lutz was going to get a big look at third base, as the 22-year old from Alvernia College took a majority of the ground balls there, showing a cannon of an arm and solid range, in addition to soft hands and quick feet. Quick to bounce off the question of where he thinks he’ll be playing when the season starts, Lutz, who compares his game to former World Series MVP David Eckstein, just wants to help the team win and doesn’t care where he plays.

“It’s my job to help this team win and that’s what I’m going to do,” said Lutz. “It doesn’t matter where I play.”

Lutz also managed to put on an exhibition during BP, while first time Cyclones’ Raul Reyes, Matt Bouchard and Lucas Duda also showed some pop, sending a few balls over the left field and center field walls…”

So imagine how I felt, a reporter who got the first big interview with this kid, seeing him go down after less than a game. Afterwards, one of my articles on him got pulled and then I was wondering if the team was going to play the same type of slow-moving, defensive and pitching oriented game they played the season before under George Greer. Then imagine how the fans felt when the highest drafted player on the team at the time gets injured with no clear cut replacement in sight. Even though the complete opposite happened, as the 2007 Cyclones had a more than competent offense to go a long with a deep pitching staff and solid defense, it makes you wonder what could have happened if Lutz was around and if they could have won their first NYPL championship since 2001 with him at third.

With the 2008 season and draft right around the corner, it’ll be interesting to see where Lutz winds up this season.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.