In 2007, Cyclones reliever Stephen Clyne impressed scouts and media alike with an explosive slider and a fastball that put hitters away faster than a Chuck Liddell cross, going 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA and eight saves in 20 games. After spending most of the 2008 season in St. Lucie, where he went 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA in 27 games, Clyne was sent to Brooklyn a few weeks ago to be the team’s closer, a role he had for most of last season. Despite some problems in Brooklyn as well this season, Clyne has six saves and eight strikeouts in as many innings. Chatting with DemBrooklynBums.com, Clyne talks about his game and being back in Brooklyn.
Dem Brooklyn Bums: You were the closer in Brooklyn a good chunk of last season. How does it feel to be back in that role this season?
Stephen Clyne: It feels great to be back. They brought me back because they were having problems late in ballgames. When I was in St. Lucie, they told me they got a call from management saying they needed me here and they wanted me to be their guy so I packed my bags and headed here. I was starting to pitch much better in St. Lucie and I’m hoping I can convert that into some success over here as well.
DBB: How are you a different pitcher from last year?
Clyne: I’m smarter. I’m a lot smarter. I respond better in different situations and I know that I’m a pitcher now, not a thrower. Being able to think my way through situations on the mound has helped me a lot in St. Lucie and again, I hope I can use it to my benefit here.
DBB: Do you have any idea if you’re going to spend the rest of season here or if your assignment is temporary?
Clyne: I have no idea. Like I said, I was brought in to help this team in the late innings and that’s what I’m going to do.
DBB: How were you getting along in St. Lucie?
Clyne: Things were going great. I loved the coaches down there and I had a good relationship with them. I put in a lot of work down there. I didn’t have a very good first half. It was really bad actually, but I managed to get myself back on track and started pitching really well. I think that’s why I’m here now.
DBB: You said you started off weak this season. What do you think was the turning point?
Clyne: I started off the season with a bunch of little mechanical problems and I think it got to the point where my hard work started to pay off. They had me doing a lot of drills that made me stay back more. Before, I was trying to throw as hard as I could. Now, I’m a pitcher and I feel a lot better on the mound.
After breaking his right foot in his first professional game last season, Cyclones third baseman Zach Lutz spent the next year getting into the best shape of his life, in preparation for 2008.
Through the team’s first 18 games this season, it looked like all the preparation had paid off for the 21-year-old Reading, PA-native, as he was leading the team with an uber impressive .340 batting average and nine RBI.
On Jul. 6 however, Lutz hit another barrier in his professional career, as he re-injured the same foot after grounding out in the third inning of a game against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
For a team already starved for offensive production, the absence of Lutz, which only lasted three games, was a heart-breaking one. Without the youngster manning the hot corner, the Mets Single-A affiliate scored only three runs.
The comeback was a short one however, as two games later Lutz found himself back on the DL, this time after getting 40cc of blood drained from a hematoma on his right quad and hasn’t been in the lineup since.
“I didn’t think it was that bad at first,” he said. “I went to the doctor and had an MRI and I couldn’t believe it.”
However, while Lutz’s latest injury is a setback for him, his endless devotion to the game has so far been able to bring him back to the spotlight.
Wearing a cast on his foot for nearly five months after his first injury last season, Lutz refused to take a day off in rehab. Working extremely hard on developing his upper-body, Lutz came to training camp looking like completely different from the 175-pound infielder he was the year before.
The way he did it is an interesting one.
“It was weird [rehabbing], because I was instructed to always keep my foot elevated,” said Lutz. “But I still did things when I was injured. It was really tough at times, but I had to do something. I usually went outside and put my right foot on a bucket and I would throw the ball around with my mother or father. I tried to do anything to stay active.”
Trying desperately to come back a better baseball player after the injury, Lutz believes he took his body to places it had never been previously.
He also sharpened his mind during that time as well.
“I went back to school and took four classes, which was a little weird as well,” he said. “I had to keep my foot elevated there too.”
By working so hard to continue playing the game he loves, Lutz unbelievably, ended up with an even greater appreciation for the sport than he did before.
“Sometimes you wake up in the morning and you question if you have the energy to go out and perform,” Lutz said. “Sometimes you take it for granted. But then, something like what happened to me can happen and it puts everything into perspective.”
Out for at least another two weeks, Lutz is itching to get back on the field and let his teammates know he isn’t ready to turn in the towel on his season.
“I’m going to keep my head up and keep working hard,” said Lutz during the team’s last homestand. “Hopefully it’s only a few more days until I get back on the field and start practicing with these guys. I want nothing more than to be on the field with my teammates.”
When Cyclones outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis is in the batter’s box, he’s a sight to behold.
At 6′2, 195 pounds, he already has the physical makeup of a future major leaguer, but it’s his patience at the plate and intensity in the outfield that may eventually send him there one day.
Watching him play, with his eyes steadily focused at the plate, or running full boar in the outfield, you’d expect him to be just as high energy off the field.
Right?
However, soft-spoken and unassuming, Nieuwenhuis is quietly carving up a solid season for himself, hitting .263 with 10 RBI, 17 walks and three stolen games in 38 games.
“I’m definitely more laid back,” Nieuwenhuis said in comparison to some of the other players in Brooklyn this season. “We have a lot of high-energy guys here and they’re all good guys. They’re a lot of fun to play with. I’m a little bit more reserved and my personality is a little more quiet and calm. On the field though, I try and bring as much intensity and focus as possible.”
Despite not being a vocal leader in the clubhouse, the well-manned Nieuwenhuis lets his game do the talking. Leading the team in games played this season, the workhorse has had plenty of opportunities on the field to show the fans at Keyspan Park and his teammates how capable he is.
He hasn’t let them down yet.
“I try and set the bar as high as I can,” said Nieuwenhuis. “Fortunately, I’ve had a chance to show what I’m capable of and I’ve been injury free. I think that’s playing a big role in how I’ve played this season. I’ve had time to hit the weight room and I’ve kept myself in good shape.”
Beginning to heat up at the plate and in the outfield after a mediocre start, Nieuwenhuis sees himself producing even more as the season goes on.
“I’m finally starting to get comfortable offensively,” he said. “Right now, I’m just trying to hit the ball hard every at bat and taking it one pitch at a time. Defensively, it’s pretty much the same thing because I’ve only played outfield for a couple of years. In High School, I played the first and second, but I was getting too big for second and too quick for first. I tried the outfield and it’s worked for me. ”
With the team starting to come around after a weak start as well, it seems like the Clones are in fact mirroring the season of Nieuwenhuis.
If the 20-year-old has his way, he and Brooklyn’s best games this season haven’t been played yet.
“I think as long as we continue to work hard and pace ourselves, we’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m looking forward to playing down the stretch with these guys.”
The gray clouds may have eventually cleared up after an hour and a half rain delay at Keyspan Park on Sunday, but the Brooklyn Cyclones never got a chance to put on a happy face.
Giving up 15 runs on 17 hits, the Cyclones were put to bed early and tucked in without a bedtime story in an abysmal 15-2 loss to the Staten Island Yankees.
“They hit the ball all over the place,” said Brooklyn first baseman Ike Davis. “You can’t really do anything when a team is hot like that.”
Tim Stronach made his first start since July 10 and lasted only one out into the first, surrendering four runs on RBI hits by Brian Baisley, Addison Maruszak and Daniel Brewer before being replaced by Jeff Kaplan.
However, despite the new hurler, Brooklyn continued to have problems as Kaplan gave up a triple to the first hitter he faced, Michael Lyon, that scored another Staten Island run, giving the Baby Bombers a 5-0 lead before the Cyclones came to the plate.
“There’s nothing you can do about it when the team your facing is hitting everything you’re throwing,” said Brooklyn manager Edgar Alfonzo. “Our pitchers made a lot of mistakes tonight.”
Kaplan kept the score at 5-0 until the fourth, when Baisley stroked a grand slam that put the Yankees up by nine runs. Staten Island wasn’t done pummeling Kaplan in the fourth either, as Lyon added an RBI double to his resume, giving Staten Island a 10-0 lead.
Erik Turgeon was then summoned to replace Kaplan and wasn’t his usual solid self early on either, coughing up a Taylor Grote three-run homer that stretched the lead to 13-0.
14-3 this season after scoring the first run, the Yankees offense destroyed the Baby Bums’ pitching staff and thanks to stellar starting pitching from David Phelps, the Mets Single-A affiliate was held to just two hits through the game’s first five innings.
Turgeon kept the Yankees scoreless through the fifth and sixth, striking out four Yankees out in a row at one point, but the offense was unable to put anything together. Nick Asselin replaced Phelps in the sixth and like his Brooklyn counterpart, was solid, throwing a scoreless frame. His successor, Tim Dennehy, also kept the Cyclones bats quiet, but allowed a bases loaded walk to Brooklyn shortstop Matt Smith that finally got them on board.
“They did a great job of throwing first pitch strikes today,” said Smith. “They got ahead of us early and made us pay.”
Wendy Rosa replaced Turgeon in the eighth and gave up a pair of RBI singles from Ray Kruml and Jahdiel Santamaria in the ninth, which gave the Yankees a 13-run lead. Brooklyn’s offense did show a small flicker of light in the eighth however, after a Jose Jimenez solo bomb off Jacinto Gonell, but was silenced in order by Andrew Shive in the ninth, wrapping up an ugly 15-2 loss.
Losing their second in a row after winning three straight, the Cyclones have been unable to find the consistency needed to reassert themselves in the playoff hunt. Now six games back of Staten Island, Brooklyn knows they have to come back strong in the final game of the series.
“If we win tomorrow, it’s not that bad,” said Alfonzo. “I told the guys that they need to forget about this game and go in strong tomorrow.”
Notes-
The most runs the Cyclones have have ever given up in a game was 21 on August 21, 2006, against the very same Staten Island Yankees.
One look at Cyclones shortstop Matt Smith’s uniform after a game and it’s obvious he’s not your typical ballplayer.
In nine games with Brooklyn this season, Smith hasn’t finished a game with a clean uniform yet.
Tough, energetic and charismatic, Smith has taken over the starting shortstop role after injuries to Reese Havens and Matt Bouchard and filled in admirably, with seven hits, eight walks and an amazing .432 On-Base Percentage in his first nine games with the team.
However, after Spring Training, the gritty 25-year-old found himself without a job. Originally released by the Rangers, Smith was quickly snatched up by the Mets.
Ready to prove himself all over again in a new organization, Smith knows what he has to do on the field to get noticed.
“My role is to see a lot of pitches and to get on base,” said Smith, who idolized Craig Biggio as a kid and models his game after him. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a hit, error, walk or a hit by pitch.”
Finding himself in the nine hole or lead-off spot for most of his time in Brooklyn thus far, Smith has opened up the eyes of the coaching staff at the plate in his short time with the team.
“He takes a lot of pitches,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo. “He does a lot of little things and gets under the pitcher’s skin. By the third inning, pitchers are tired and our hitters have seen most of their pitches because of his patience.”
Playing with the likes of David Wright, B.J. Upton and other major leaguers during his teenage years, Smith has a wealth of experience and has already shown the signs of being a leader.
“I was blessed to be around some great talent my entire life,” Smith said. “I’ve played with the best and I have the utmost amount of respect for those guys and I’ve learned a lot from them. They never treat me like they’re better than me or anyone else they meet. With that being said, I have no problem helping some of the younger guys out because I know everyone needs help at one point or another.”
Despite his ability to teach his teammates the finer points of the game, Smith isn’t wasting time this season and is ready to make the most of his time with the Mets Single-A affiliate.
“I pride myself in being a gritty player,” he said. “And I never take anything for granted. I was released once and I promised myself to play as hard as I can, for as long as I can. I told myself that by the end of my career, I could look in the mirror and be proud of myself because I did everything I could. I try and take that mentality into every game I play.”
In 2007, Cyclones reliever Stephen Clyne impressed scouts and media alike with an explosive slider and a fastball that put hitters away faster than a Chuck Liddell cross, going 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA and eight saves in 20 games. After spending most of the 2008 season in St. Lucie, where he went 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA in 27 games, Clyne was sent to Brooklyn a few weeks ago to be the team’s closer, a role he had for most of last season. Despite some problems in Brooklyn as well this season, Clyne has six saves and eight strikeouts in as many innings. Chatting with DemBrooklynBums.com, Clyne talks about his game and being back in Brooklyn.
After breaking his right foot in his first professional game last season, Cyclones third baseman Zach Lutz spent the next year getting into the best shape of his life, in preparation for 2008.
“It was weird [rehabbing], because I was instructed to always keep my foot elevated,” said Lutz. “But I still did things when I was injured. It was really tough at times, but I had to do something. I usually went outside and put my right foot on a bucket and I would throw the ball around with my mother or father. I tried to do anything to stay active.”
When Cyclones outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis is in the batter’s box, he’s a sight to behold.
Despite not being a vocal leader in the clubhouse, the well-manned Nieuwenhuis lets his game do the talking. Leading the team in games played this season, the workhorse has had plenty of opportunities on the field to show the fans at Keyspan Park and his teammates how capable he is.
“I’m finally starting to get comfortable offensively,” he said. “Right now, I’m just trying to hit the ball hard every at bat and taking it one pitch at a time. Defensively, it’s pretty much the same thing because I’ve only played outfield for a couple of years. In High School, I played the first and second, but I was getting too big for second and too quick for first. I tried the outfield and it’s worked for me. ”
The gray clouds may have eventually cleared up after an hour and a half rain delay at Keyspan Park on Sunday, but the Brooklyn Cyclones never got a chance to put on a happy face.
“There’s nothing you can do about it when the team your facing is hitting everything you’re throwing,” said Brooklyn manager Edgar Alfonzo. “Our pitchers made a lot of mistakes tonight.”
Losing their second in a row after winning three straight, the Cyclones have been unable to find the consistency needed to reassert themselves in the playoff hunt. Now six games back of Staten Island, Brooklyn knows they have to come back strong in the final game of the series.
One look at Cyclones shortstop Matt Smith’s uniform after a game and it’s obvious he’s not your typical ballplayer.
Despite his ability to teach his teammates the finer points of the game, Smith isn’t wasting time this season and is ready to make the most of his time with the Mets Single-A affiliate.