Since I’ve already discussed how dominant guys like Joe Smith, Eric Brown and Tobi Stoner, I figured I almost had to talk about Jeremy Mizell, who arguably was just as successful in 2006.

Signed as a free agent from South Eastern Louisiana University in 2006, Mizell went 2-0 with a 1.18 ERA in 18 appearances for Brooklyn that season. While Joe Smith got a lot of the credit for the Cyclones success after a horrible start that year, it was usually Mizell who was setting the table for him. The fact that Mizell relied more on solid off-speed pitches and mixes them in with a good fastball, rather than the overpowering heat Smith brought into every game, was easily one of the reasons why Smith was so successful why he was in Brooklyn.

However, while he was a completely different pitcher than Smith, that didn’t mean he didn’t have good stuff. Throwing a two-seam and four-seam fastball with a good changeup and an even better curveball, Mizell could have been a solid starter that season as well. He had good control, mixed his pitches well and never relied on the strikeout or groundball. Like many older pitchers, Mizell didn’t care how he got hitters out. That was one of the biggest reasons why I think he was so dependable in 2006.

His presence on the mound was also more than solid. A big Roger Clemens fan growing up, I saw a lot of that, not in his stuff of course, but just how he looked on the mound. He never got flustered and always maintained his composure out there.

“I’ve always looked up to Roger Clemens because I like his attitude; give me the ball and I’m coming after you with everything I got. Some days he gets beat, it’s not very often, but for the most part, he’s coming right after hitters and that’s the kind of attitude I’ve always had,” said Mizell. “I’m going to come after you with my best stuff and if you beat me, I’ll tip my hat to you.”

To hear a young reliever say something like that and then see him prove it on the mound all season, you’ve got to like his chances at making something of himself.

Nonetheless, for a guy that didn’t give up an earned run through the first ¾ of the season, the guy didn’t get that much media attention. Despite that though, the league was smart enough to see his talent, making him a selection to the 2006 NY-Penn League All-Star game.

For a guy enjoying that type of success, he was also pretty humble.

“It’s my role to come into games in late innings and get us out of jams,” said Mizell during the season. “I’m just the guy that bridges that gap between the starter and the closer.”

Even though he struggled last season as a starter with Savannah, going 3-15 with an ERA of 6.75, I still think he’s got the potential to be a solid middle reliever. His lack of velocity may hurt him as a starter and leave him too open to be successful, which means his only future would be out of the bullpen. He’s still listed as active on the Sand Gnats on Milb.com, but I have no idea where he is in the system right now, which means he could have either been released or is injured.

Regardless of what happens to him in the future though, I’ll always remember how successful he was in Brooklyn in 2006.

Photos by Conroy Walker