Turgeon Ready to Make Brooklyn Debut

July 17, 2008   ·   Patrick Hickey, Jr.   ·   Jump to comments

When most sports fans in New York hear the name Turgeon, they think of Pierre, the enigmatic playmaker for the New York Islanders in the early to mid-90s. However, the Brooklyn Cyclones have their own Turgeon that is set on making his own type of mark on the New York sports scene.

Drafted by the Mets in the 28th round of the 2008 draft, Erik Turgeon was quickly assigned to Kingsport, going 0-0 with a 4.05 ERA in seven appearances. While those numbers are solid, rather than eye-popping, he did exhibit fine control, as he refused to yield a walk in his stint in rookie-ball, earning him a promotion to Single-A with the Cyclones.

While his shaggy black hair and big smile make him like like a finesse hurler who prides himself on getting the big out, Turgeon is a pitcher who doesn’t care how his outs come. Looking to stand out of a crowded Brooklyn bullpen that consists of flamethrowers like Yury Santana and Stephen Clyne and lefty specialists such as Jimmy Johnson and Roy Merritt, the 21-year old knows he has his work cut out for him.

Nevertheless, he’s confident he’ll get the job done when called upon.

“I throw to contact,” Turgeon, who bears no relation to the former Islander who shares his last name, said. “If someone is going to get a hit on me, I’d rather have it be on my best pitch, which is my fastball, rather than my secondary pitches. I just keep the ball down in the zone and make the batter work from his knees.”

With a 94-mph fastball coming in both a four-seam and two-seam variety, Turgeon knows his control will be pivotal in assessing his future success in Brooklyn. Joining the team on Jul. 11, the righty has yet to appear in a game at Keyspan though and is anxious to get started.

“I had a long ride down to Jamestown to meet up with everyone and I’d really like to get into the game tonight,” said Turgeon on Jul. 14. “But if we win, it real doesn’t matter much to be. I’m still soaking everything in.”

A U-Conn product, Turgeon has pitched in Keyspan Park before, but admits that things are completely different now that he’s a pro.

“When I was at U-Conn, it was always snowing, so we were lucky to have 13 people in the stands,” he said. “This atmosphere is nuts. When I played here in college, we just had some parents and fans. Playing in this stadium packed is going to be something I’ve never really experienced before. I can’t wait.”

Still adapting to his new team, Turgeon has admitted he’s a chatty guy and is quickly making friends.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t anxious to get on the field though and show his new comrades what he’s made of though. Hurling three scoreless innings in Oneonta last night, Turgeon has already started that process, but  still sees pitching in front of the Brooklyn crowd as the bigger test.

As a matter of fact, he even has his first appearance in Brooklyn pictured in his head.

“Three outs,” Turgeon, who was originally drafted by the Red Sox in the 49th round in 2005 before deciding to go to college, said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a strikeout or a ground ball; I’m not picky. No way in hell.”

Link:

Box Score to last night’s 4-1 Cyclone Loss.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.