His teammates called him “Sunshine,” because of his blonde locks. The reporters thought he was cocky because he knew he could hit and wasn’t scared to tell anyone else. For those reasons, the fans, especially the women, adored him.

His name was Dustin Martin and aside from being a heck of an outfielder for the 2006 Brooklyn Cyclones, he was charismatic, convincing and extremely passionate about the game. The only five-tool player that team had that season, Martin hit .312 with 35 RBI and quickly became one of the team’s leaders in the clubhouse alongside the likes of Tobi Stoner, Joe Holden and Jason Jacobs.

On the field, Martin just did so many things right. He never looked out of place in the outfield and was always hustling. He played with his heart on his sleeve and was so emotionally charged that it rubbed off on the rest of the team. I remember being the only reporter left during the infamous game between the Clones and the Tigers that lasted 26 innings, a game where Martin went 0 for 15. Let’s just say with only a few hundred fans left in the stands that you could hear that Martin wasn’t a happy guy. It’s funny though that after that game, “Sunshine,” got hot again and combined with the clutch hitting of Jesus Gamero, the Clones wound up making the playoffs after a miserable start.

However, just saying “he was hot” doesn’t really explain how good he actually was after getting in a slump in a weird game like that. Hitting .403 in his last 72 Abs that season, Martin went on perhaps one of the best hitting runs of any other Cyclone, ever. And believe me when I say that his teammates and coaches appreciated it.

“He’s the straw that stirs the drink,” said the Cyclones manager George Greer. “He’s there when we need him. He comes through with his bat and his legs. He’s just been awesome for us.”

When that season was finished, many wondered what was going to happen to him. Obviously the best player on the team [aside from Joe Smith, who only spent the first few weeks with the team], Martin had gone from a 26^th round pick to a sleeper prospect with plenty of promise. I, among a few other guys covering the team definitely saw him as someone who would make a really solid fourth outfielder in the bigs one day, granted he develop a little more power and continue to draw walks.

Nonetheless, when the Mets said hello to Luis Castillo, fans in Brooklyn had to forget any hope of seeing “Sunshine” playing in Flushing one day. That doesn’t mean they still aren’t thankful of what he did here though. Finishing his season in Fort Meyers after a solid one with the St. Lucie Mets, Martin’s chances of making it to the show haven’t diminished at all.

Photo by Conroy Walker