A two-way player in College, Turgeon was used to playing the field and then coming in to pitch. Now a full-time pitcher in the minor leagues, the Florida-native is still refining his game.

He even got help from an unlikely source this offseason.

“I worked out at this place called the Winning Inning this offseason,” he said. “I worked out with [Chicago White Sox pitcher] Gavin Floyd. He taught me his curveball; I owe a lot of it to him. Aside from that I just went hunting a few times and worked out all offseason. Last year was more about throwing the ball; this year I’m more a pitcher and I’m ready to go in at any time.”

Appearing in 11 games with Brooklyn last season, Turgeon was dynamic at times, striking out 23 hitters and walking allowing five in 16.1 innings while in a middle reliever role.

This season, Turgeon is splitting the closing duties with Mike Powers, a job he says he’s ready for.

“Closing is one thing that really gets me excited,” said Turgeon, who is also throwing a two-seam fastball this season to compliment a lively four-seam fastball, a changeup and curveball. “I’m looking to doing well there.”

Ike Davis- Teach this guy to change his approach at the plate. Unlike Reese Havens, who realizes very quickly he wasn’t going to be a power hitter in pro baseball, Ike Davis was fighting himself the entire season in Brooklyn this past summer. The result? Zero homers. In spite of that, it seemed like the last three weeks of the season that Davis was beginning to see how effective he could be hitting balls up the middle and in the gap. As I’ve said before, I see him as a Lyle Overbay type, and not as a power hitter. There’s nothing wrong with that though either. However, if he doesn’t continue to stay back and be smart at the plate, he’ll project as nothing more than a bench player.

Wilmer Flores- Give him some time in Brooklyn to develop before calling him up to higher levels. Still only 17-years-old, Flores looked out of place in Brooklyn after his hot start. Still getting used to pitchers with good off-speed pitches, Flores would benefit a ton from proving himself in the NY-Penn League. I know it’s the Mets mentality know to push these kids ahead to see how they deal with adversity, but this kid is still developing at too rapid a pace. He needs to build confidence and some kind of consistency. He also needs to learn English and make friends on the team’s he plays on, rather than be thrown around the organization like a rag doll. At his age, he’s way too delicate emotionally as well and could benefit from some camaraderie.

Roy Merritt- Help him develop another off-speed pitch to compliment his slider and changeup. At the NY-Penn League level, this guy was simply dynamite. However, even his uber-supportive pitching coach, Hector Berrios agreed last season that he has to work on something else this offseason to keep hitters guessing. I personally think a decent sinker, that he can use just to mix things up a bit would do the trick, especially since his slider moves like a curveball attached to a frisbee.

Josh Satin- An injury-free 2009. Easily one of the best hitters on the team when healthy, Satin fought a smörgåsbord of injuries in 2008. Solid on the field and at the plate, I like this kid’s major league chances if he can stay healthy.

Before we get too serious, here’s a fun one.

The Foreigner started out “Hot Blooded,” but ended up “Cold as Ice” Award:

Nominees-

JR Voyles- hit .050 over his last 11 games of the season.

Jose Jimenez- hit .093 over the last 12 games of the season and hit .073 with runners in scoring position.

John Servidio- hit .117 in August before going down with a hand injury.

And the winner is… Jose Jimenez.

Voyles started out very strong, but fizzled the same way he did last season. Servidio was injured and led the team in RBI for a big chunk of the year, so he’s not right for the award either. Jimenez, however, was so unreliable at the plate that he was relegated to bench duty by the end of the season. Like I’ve said in older posts, he’s got a ton of power, so he is going to be fun to watch in the future, However, he shouldn’t be happy with the way his season ended.

OK, on to the serious stuff.

Best Off-Speed Pitch

Nominees

Brad Holt’s power curve ball

Jenrry Mejia’s 12-6 curve ball

Roy Merritt’s slider

And the Winner is… Roy Merritt’s slider.

Nothing against Holt or Mejia, but Merritt’s slider is amazing. Sweeping through the strike zone like a Frisbee, Merritt needs to add another pitch to his repertoire to compliment his fastball and changeup and I think he’ll eventually be ready to pitch in the Mets bullpen. Remember where you heard that first boys and girls, it’s something I’d feel comfortable betting on.

Best Swing

Nominees

Wilmer Flores

Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Zach Lutz

And the winner is…Wilmer Flores

In the three years I’ve covered the Cyclones, I’ve seen some very nice swings, but Flores’ is so quick through the hitting zone that I think he’s going to be a great ballplayer one day despite his relatively young age and someone to definitely watch next season.

And lastly…Team MVP.

Nominees

Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Brad Holt

Jimmy Johnson

And the winner is… Brad Holt.

Nieuwenhuis played great ball all season and Johnson was amazing out of the bullpen, but Holt was the bee’s knees. After watching guys like Joe Smith, Eric Brown, Dylan Owen and Dillon Gee in year’s past, I never thought I’d see anything better than that, but Holt surpassed all expectations.

Photos by Ron Hatcher

Jimmy Johnson: At one point, he tried to shy away from contact, but after a while he looked like a veteran out there. He has three pitches he can throw for strikes. He started the season as more of a lefty specialist, but ended it as someone who is very dependable in late innings.

Roy Merritt: He came down to his arm angle and really took to it. He was probably the biggest surprise we had here all year. He’s got good movement and has the same thing Joe Smith had when he was here. His pitch speed fluctuates to the point where you’ll see a fastball at 84 and then one at 89. That’s why it seems why hitters have trouble with the same pitches every night. He’s very good at what he does. Remember he was a center fielder a few years ago; he just picked this up and ran with it.

Wendy Rosa: He wasn’t anywhere near the strike zone and wasn’t on a team out of spring training. But through hard work at Extended Spring Training, he got called up to Savannah and then back here and he was a different pitcher. He’s another guy that just went out and surpassed our expectations. He can throw three pitches for a strike and is another one that can find himself in the big leagues with that plus slider and plus curve ball that he has.

Mattias Carrillo: He’s more of a specialty guy who has to change speeds and be where he wants to be in the strike zone. He has a good changeup to the lefties and a good curve ball to the righties. With that being said, he has to really rely on his command to be good. He did it this season

Jim Fuller: To me, it’s a little disappointing that we didn’t get to see him very much, because he has so much talent. A really small guy with a power arm that can hit 91,92 and 93 miles per hour. He gets a lot of swings and misses at this level and is a guy to keep your eye on. He may be a special guy in the big leagues one day. He’s one of our best workers too and has been a pleasure to coach.

Eric Turgeon: He was a position player at UConn and came here with minimal experience, but he worked hard. He was one of those guys that was always pulling at my coat and wanted to work with me. He ended up giving us some tremendous outings that bridged us into the eighth and ninth innings.

Stephen Clyne and Yury Santana: We had Clyne’s experience on the mound and Yury’s ability to throw a secondary pitch for strikes this season and it helped us a lot. Santana’s slider scored a 65 out of 80 on our rating scale. It gets up to 84-85 miles per hour at times and that’s why you saw all those swings and misses.

Notes-

For some reason, the team’s stellar long man, Jeff Kaplan, wasn’t mentioned in this interview even though his name was brought up a few times. Can’t blame Berrios however, he was pretty much cornered by a four or five reporters and asked to spill his guts.

Aside from that, you have to like what he said about the pen. The only question is who makes it to the bigs from this staff?

For my money, I go with Roy Merritt. The guy’s slider is amazing and just like Berrios said, he mixes his speeds up so well that hitters can’t explain why they can’t hit a 85 mile an hour fastball. A characteristic like that just cannot be taught.

However, considering the fact that this is indeed Single-A ball, we’ll have to wait a while to see if my prediction holds water.

Photographs by Ron Hatcher.

Brad Holt- His secondary pitches came such a long way during the season and he proved he’s much more than a fastball pitcher. His curve ball has the potential to be a devastating pitch as well and his changeup needs some work, but is progressing steadily. As far as his potential goes, I see him as someone who could round out the last two spots of a starting rotation or be an excellent setup man or reliever, kind of like an old New York favorite, Dave Righetti. His fun-loving, yet professional attitude with the media and in the clubhouse could also make him a fan-favorite in a jiffy once he gets to Brooklyn.

Final grade- A+

Pedro P. Martinez- Earlier in the season, Martinez seemed like a different pitcher. He was hitting corners and whim and even when he was missing, was missing low in the zone. As the season progressed however, it was obvious his arm was tired and he wasn’t nearly as effective. Very similar to Mejia, Martinez still has a lot to learn, but when he’s sharp, he does whatever he has to in order to get outs. With good size and a nice delivery, Martinez has the raw talent needed to advance to higher levels, but needs to develop his secondary pitchers more before he can be more than just a prospect.

Final grade- B-

Chris Schwinden- Every season in Brooklyn, there’s a player who relies on command and ends up having a monster year. In 2006, it was Eric Brown. In 2007, it was Dylan Owen and Dillon Gee. Simply put, Schwinden is a sleeper prospect with a great attitude that I see rising through the organization. Is he the next Brian Bannister, Joe Smith or promising prospect to get to the Mets in a year or so? Probably not, but he’s still going to fun to watch develop.

Final Grade- A

Scott Shaw- If there was a “bizarro world” version of Steve Trachsel, it could only be Scott Shaw. Not only does work quickly on the mound, he gives up a ton of ground balls, is extremely efficient with his pitch count and has excellent control. Not a strikeout pitcher by trade, Shaw benefited from having four pitches [fastball, curve ball, changeup and a slider] he could throw for strikes in the NY-Penn League and doesn’t figure to be one in higher levels. Big, strong and with a great work ethic, Shaw is going to be another pitcher worth following.

Final Grade- B+

Jenrry Mejia- Jekyll and Hyde. When this youngster is off, he leaves the ball up in the zone and lacks the poise needed to get professional hitters out on a consistent basis. However, when he’s on his game, he mixes in a more than solid 12-6 curve with a 95-97 MPH fastball and gets outs via the strikeout at a solid pace. Considering his age, Mejia is definitely worth keeping an eye on and with plenty of confidence and charisma on the mound already, should develop into a major league caliber pitcher if he learns to develop some sort of consistency.

Final Grade- B

Photos by Ron Hatcher.

Playing a pivotal part in the Cyclones playoff run over the past few weeks, the coaching staff sees a bright future in front of the 21-year-old.

Sporting southern good-looks, a trademark smile and a vicious fastball that has reached 98 miles-per-hour on occasion this season, Holt seems to be tailor-made for a life in baseball in New York City.

“This kid is a warrior,” said Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo. “Whenever he’s on the mound, he gives me a lot of confidence because he just brings so much to the table. He has a great fastball, breaking ball and changeup and he wants to pitch nine innings every time he goes out there. He knows we have him on a pitch count and he still wants to go out there and pitch as much as he can. Guys like that are very rare today.”

What is even rarer however is the attitude Holt has on the field and in the clubhouse. Like a magician, Holt can go from a tough as nails competitor on the mound one second to a fun-loving teammate, without missing a beat.

The end result is a player that has the polish, determination and mindset of a future major leaguer.

“I don’t know how he does it,” said former Cyclones third baseman Zach Lutz via phone from Port St. Lucie Florida. “He understands the game and works very hard, but he loves to have a good time in the dugout. Because of that, he’s a great guy to play with.”

Things didn’t originally start Holt’s way this season though, as a bevy of walks surrendered through his fist handful of starts had many scouts worried about his control. Over his last six starts however, Holt has 12 walks over 34.2 innings pitched, a vast improvement over the 21 walks he gave up over his first eight starts of the season.

Despite those momentary bumps in the road this summer, Holt has always maintained an air of confidence and hasn’t been able to wipe the smile off his face.

“Baseball is all about winning, but there’s no reason why you can’t have fun too,” Holt, who has been accused of putting bubble gum on several of his teammates’ hats this season, said, with a smirk. “I like to keep things light. I like having a good time. I’ve been this way since High School.”

Obviously impressed with Holt’s resiliency and attitude on the mound this season, Cyclones pitching coach Hector Berrios likes other things about his game and has been pleased with his development.

“The thing I like about him is the extension he gets on his fastball and other pitches,” Berrios said. “What looks like a 94 and 95 mph pitch looks like a 96 or 97 out of his hand because he releases closer to the hitter. For example, Jenrry Mejia throws at the same velocity, but doesn’t get same amount of swings and misses. Obviously, Holt is a bigger guy, but he gets closer to the hitter and that’s why he gets more swings and misses.”

Soft-spoken and honest, Holt isn’t one to brag about his play this season.

Instead, he’ll let his numbers do the real talking.

“It gives me confidence knowing everyone has confidence in me,” said Holt. “I can only control how I pitch though and I think I’ve done a good job of that this season.”

Link-

Box Score to Last Night’s 9-6 Cyclones win.

Photos by Ron Hatcher.

Getting another quality outing from staff ace Brad Holt and clutch hitting from Sean Ratliff, the Baby Bums looked recharged indeed and scratched out a hard-fought 3-1 win.

“The way we played tonight, I feel like this team is relaxed and ready,” said Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo. “They know what they have to do now and I believe in them.”

Things didn’t start Brooklyn’s way however, as after hurling four scoreless innings, Holt gave up two hits and threw a wild pitch in the fifth that allowed an Oneonta run to score and gave the Tigers a one-run lead.

“I started off well,” said Holt, who threw 90 pitches on the night. “My changeup was good all night, except for the one that spiked past the catcher and gave them the lead. Other than that, I think I was alright.”

The Clones wasted no time getting back into the game however, as a Ratliff a solo bomb off Oneonta hurler Trevor Feeney in the bottom of the fifth tied the score at 1-1.

Lefty reliever Roy Merritt came out of the Brooklyn bullpen in the sixth, replacing Holt and kept the score deadlocked at 1-1 through the eighth. The Mets Single-A affiliate then broke the game wide open the following half inning, getting a bases-loaded single from Ratliff that scored Ike Davis and Jordan Abruzzo and put the Clones ahead 3-1.

“I got a changeup I was able to hit over the second baseman’s head and get us the lead,” said Ratliff, who has four homers in his past 10 games. “I’ve been feeling great out there lately and it feels good to help the team in a clutch situation like that.”

After getting their first lead of the night in the eighth, Jimmy Johnson was summoned out of the bullpen and wasted no time, retiring the side in order, earning the first save of his professional career and securing a 3-1 Brooklyn win.

Winning their fourth game in as many days, the Baby Bums know that with only 10 games left to go, the winning ways must continue for their playoff dreams to come true.

“We’re rolling right now,” said Ratliff, who also made a pair of diving grabs in keep the game tied. “We really want to keep this going.”

Notes-

Clones starter Chris Schwinden, who was forced to leave his last start after being hit by a ball on his upper thigh in Tri-City, told reporters today that he’s fine and should be ready to pitch when his turn in the rotation comes up.

“I’m a little purple,” he said of his thigh. “But I’ll be okay. I was pretty lucky”

Update 5:15 P.M.-

Mets 17-year-old prospect Wilmer Flores has been sent to Brooklyn and will be hitting seventh tonight against the Oneonta Tigers. Hitting .310 with 48 RBI with Kingsport this season, Flores is one of the fast-rising prospects in the organization and should be able to do more than just fill in for first round pick Reese Havens.

Photos by Ron Hatcher.

But after just two appearances, it was apparent that something was wrong with the southpaw, who threw a whopping 93 innings and compiled an impressive 9-3 record at Southern Connecticut State University before being drafted this season. Suffering from a strained left arm for over a month, Fuller’s absence created a void in the bullpen that the team never fully recovered from.

However, since making his first appearance back with the team on Aug. 2, where he threw two scoreless innings, Fuller has proved that good things come to those who wait. During the outing, Fuller showed just how thrilled he was to be back in the lineup by fielding a pair of ground balls and firing them over to first baseman Jason Jacobs with an intensity that could only be described as “energetic.”

Obviously happy to be back on the mound, Fuller is ready to be a influential member of the Brooklyn staff and seems fully recovered from the arm problems that took him off the roster for most of the first half of the season.

“It was the first time I was out there in a month, so I was really anxious to get started,” said Fuller, who’s fastball clocks in at 92 miles-per-hour. “It’s hard sitting on the bench for a month not knowing when you’re going to be ready to come back. All you can do is stick with your rehab and do whatever it is you have to do to get back out there and that’s exactly what I did. I’m so excited to be back”

Aside from his fastball, Fuller also throws a curve ball, slider and a changeup, which gives him an uncanny amount of versatility out of a Brooklyn bullpen that hasn’t been very solid over its past few games.

Looking for more depth in the middle of a pennant race, the Cyclones coaching staff is fully aware of what Fuller brings to the table and plan to use him accordingly.

“We’re happy to have him back and healthy,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo. “We don’t know where he fits in right now, but I do know that we’re going to be working him in as much as we can the rest of the season. He’s going to get plenty of innings.”

Despite the coaching staff’s fondness of his repertoire and poise on the mound, Fuller knows with crafty relievers like Roy Merritt, Chris Schwinden, Wendy Rosa and Jimmy Johnson in the bullpen that playing time may be harder to come by than the coaching staff thinks.

Nevertheless, he’s focused on making the most of what’s left of his season.

“It feels great to know that this team is going to give me an opportunity to prove myself ,” Fuller, who models his game after Mets closer Billy Wagner, said. “I want to help this team win and we’re playing well right now, so it’s good that I get to be a part of all of this. I want to contribute as much as I can.”

Notes- According to a source, former Cyclone Bobby Malek was coaching first base in place of Guadalupe Jabalera, who has left the team for personal reasons. To my knowledge, Malek is the first former Clone to ever serve as a coach.

Link-

Box Score from last night’s 7-0 Cyclone win.

Update-New Podcast up!

Interview with Jordan Abruzzo on 8-04.You can download it from I-Tunes here, or stream it from the web, here. Enjoy!

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr. and Ron Hatcher.

When reliever Eddie Kunz is on the mound for the Cyclones, it’s easy to see the beads of sweat drip down his face while the crowd cheers his name and the hitter wonders what pitch he’s going to get.

Hell, even a small part of Kunz probably has trouble deciding.

Will it be the slider that’ll dance through the strike zone a split second after it leaves his hand, or will it be the changeup that’ll put the poor hitter into the ground like he’s attached to a screwdriver? Or worse yet, will it be the fastball that will sting his hands like a bee if he manages to make contact?

While this chess game goes on inside the hitter’s mind, Kunz doesn’t hear the sound of the crowd. All he sees is his target.

Since making his professional debut with the ‘Clones on August 4, Kunz has four saves in eight games. with his opponents hitting .222 against him, proving he hits his target more times than he misses.

“This place [Keyspan Park] is really high energy, but I don’t hear anything when I’m out on the mound, I’m just in the zone and focused,” said Kunz. “The last time I was out and I got the save, people were cheering my name and I had no idea until my parents called me up and told me they heard it on the radio.”

The Mets first pick in this year’s draft, Kunz has had some bumps in the road this season, giving up six runs in two outings against Aberdeen and Vermont, the main reason why his ERA is an unusually high 8.59. However, in his six other appearances this season, he hasn’t given up a run and has shown the confidence and unbridled determination a good closer needs in order to be successful.

“I knew I had some good stuff, but I didn’t know how good I was until I faced a couple of batters,” said Kunz, who has six strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work this season. “Now that I’ve done that and I see how much success I’ve been having, I’ve been trying to build on that success every time I go out there. By doing that, I think I’ve proven to myself and the organization that I do more than hold my own at this level and that I’ll be ready for hitters at higher levels when they decide to move me up.”

With all of the competition in the ‘Clones pen this season, Kunz was originally expected to share closing duties with Brant Rustich, Dan McDonald and Stephen Clyne, but after dominant performances against Mahoning Valley and Auburn, Kunz looks to have taken sole position of Brooklyn closers gig for the time being. Nevertheless, Kunz believes that while he would prefer to stay as the team’s main closer, he’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win.

“I was a little scared at first,” said Kunz. “There are four of us in the pen that can come out and close at any time. I’m just really happy that I’ve gotten a chance to show my ability and prove that I can hold down the closer role if they need me to. In all honesty, I don’t feel that any of us are any better than another, it just depends on what the coaches want to see.”

Feeling that the coaching staff in the end will play the biggest part in his success, Kunz, who compares himself to Eric Gagne, is grateful for getting so much playing time after taking six weeks to iron out his contract and get his professional career started.

“I’ve been pitching really well lately because the coaching staff has been giving me an opportunity to throw and I’ve been making the most of it,” said Kunz. “I’ve been handling the closing duties really well and all of my pitches are really working. I’m hitting my spots really well with my fastball, changeup and slider right now, but I’m just really happy to be here and making the most out of the opportunity the organization has given me.”

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.