Hitting .270 going to into the second half of the season, Sam Honeck was a New York Penn League All-Star, but hit a disastrous .176 after the break.

Clones outfielder Luis Rivera had 66 hits in as many games and amassed an uber solid OBP of .402.

In spite of only playing in 49 games this season, outfielder John Servidio shared the team lead in homers with Nick Santomauro with six. Santomauro only played in 45 games.

In spite of setting a new team record with 17 saves this season, Clones Clones Mike Powers have up eight earned runs in his last ten outings.

Mark Kohoon is 5-1 in six starts this season. Opponents are hitting just .233 off him. In 40 innings pitched, he also surrendered just seven walks.

James Fuller has a 3-3 record, but has a sparkling 1.75 ERA in six starts. He’s also pitched six innings in five of his appearances and has 40 Ks.

Brandon Moore has administered just three walks in 41 innings pitched. Hitters are batting just .190 against him.

Michael Powers has six saves in 10 appearances and has given up just nine hits in 12.1 innings.

Hitters:

Catcher Juan Centeno only has two hits in his last 33 ABs.

First baseman Sam Honeck has 14 hits in his last 40 ABs. He’s also hitting .349 in July.

Luis Rivera currently leads the team with 19 RBI, five stolen bases and a .417 on-base percentage.

Despite hitting .120 on the road this season, John Servidio has six homers, 14 RBI and a .282 BA at Keyspan Park this season.

Brad Holt- 4-1, 3.02 ERA in nine starts between St. Lucie and the B-Mets.

Last season, I said that I saw Holt as a starter for the foreseeable future, mainly due to the fact that not many knew what his secondary pitches were capable of. On top of that his power curve showed significant problems and came an amazingly long way in just a summer of hard work. This season is obviously still foreseeable and Holt has been excellent, averaging over a strikeout an inning and keeping opposing hitters to a measly .203 batting average. With his last start at the AA level yesterday, the future looks to be getting brighter by the way for the youngster.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis- Eight homers, 20 RBI and five steals in 47 games.

Overall, Captain Kirk is proving he can survive on the High-A level and has shown that he has more power than people gave him credit for last season. With his excellent defensive ability as well, I think a call up to AA is an inevitable one at some point this season. Nevertheless, he has to cut down on his strikeout totals and improve his ability against left-handed pitching. Otherwise, he’ll project more as a fourth outfielder than the starting outfielder many thought and still believe he can be when they watched him in Brooklyn last year.

Dylan Owen- 0-5, 6.97 in 10 starts in AA.

It seems that Owen’s start power has diminished a bit and he’s come back to earth. Maybe a stint in St. Lucie can revitalize him.

Ike Davis- .283, four dingers, 21 RBI.

Aside from an alarming amount of strikeouts, Davis is making a believer out of many who thought he jumped the shark in Brooklyn last season. On pace for a solid 15 homer, 70 RBI season, Davis projects to be more like the Lyle Overbay-type player I projected him to be everyday.

Jenrry Mejia- 4-1, 1.97 ERA in nine starts in St. Lucie.

Just called up to AA, Mejia, just like Holt is proving he may have what it takes to move up through the system at a pace not many expected. Many questioned his maturity at times last season, so it’s important to see how he handles his first rough patch with the B-Mets. Nevertheless, at 19, he’s quickly becoming one of the best prospects in the system.

Photo by Ron Hatcher.

Jeffries Tatford- 11 homers, 50 RBI in Savannah with a cup of coffee in St. Lucie. After wasting away in Brooklyn for two seasons, many believed he was going to eventually be released. However, he was called up to Savannah and responded marvelously, hitting .276 with 12 RBI in 30 games. If Ike Davis is promoted straight to St. Lucie this season and doesn’t hit Savannah first, Tatford will get more playing time and will continue to move up the organizational ladder.

Sean Ratliff- 15 homers, 55 RBI in Savannah and St. Lucie- Despite alarming strikeout totals, Ratliff showed some power towards the end of the season last year in Brooklyn and much like Servidio, showed an ability in the outfield that any team in the organization would be happy to possess. Simply put, Ratliff has the ability to be a star, he just has to find some sort of consistency at the plate. If that happens, expect those numbers I have posted up there. If not, expect a low batting average and high strikeout totals.

Eric Campbell- eight homers, 60 RBI in Savannah and St. Lucie- While he didn’t put up the power numbers many thought he would last season, Campbell is a good contact hitter with a penchant for clutch hits. He also has good patience for a youngster, a trait that is almost impossible to teach and something that should benefit him as he moves up the ladder. His ability to play a few infield positions and left field also make him extremely versatile and make it that much easier for him to get in the lineup. As well, his defense and speed are much better than most people give him credit for. If he can hit in the sixth spot and has a few guys in front of him that can get on base, Campbell will have a very good year this season.

Chatting with DBB on the phone from California on Feb. 4, Satin talks about his offseason, what it was like playing Brooklyn last season and what he expects from himself in the future.

You can listen to the file here:

http://www.switchpod.com/users/dembrooklynbums/DemBrooklynBumsPodcastJoshSatinInterview204.mp3

Or go to the site’s page on I-tunes and listen there:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=284456470

Opening Day Massacre 2006- Not only did the Staten Island Yankees destroy the Cyclones’ pitching staff, it was my first game covering a team as a beat writer. No more one-time assignments where I could do my interview with a player and leave before the game started, this was my team to cover. I still remember the tingling feeling in my feet during the national anthem or the instant messages I made to my girlfriend and father. I also remember how Jose Reyes got lit up, giving up seven runs over just 1.3 innings pitched. It was the beginning of a metamorphosis for that team as well, as after a week or so, wholesale changes were made to get the team back in the win column.

Jordan Abruzzo’s Two Dinger Night- Not many Cyclones have hit two homers in a game, and Abruzzo hit one from each side of the plate on August 31, 2008 to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive. One of the best backstops the team has ever had, Abruzzo cemented his spot in the team’s history that night powering a 3-1 over the Hudson Valley Renegades. The team’s vocal leader that season, Abruzzo seemed to always come up big when the team needed him to.

Dylan Owen’s five innings of no-hit ball- Just by the numbers alone, many Mets fans in the future will believe that Owen was the prince of the Cyclones staff in 2007. While they would be true, the way he got there was the real story. Beginning the season as the team’s extra starter, it looked like Owen was going to be used sparingly. But after Todd Privett blew out his arm and need Tommy John surgery, Owen was thrust into the rotation and didn’t disappoint. In his first start as a pro on June 27, 2007, the Georgia native threw five-innings of no-hit ball and gave the fans in attendance a sneak preview of an assortment of pitches that would captivate them for the rest of the summer.

Photo by Conroy Walker

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.

10- Ezequiel Carrera- Even though he only had a small cup of coffee with the team in 2007, Carrera was like a mini-Ichiro Suzuki, hitting .300 and stealing six bases in 20 games. Stealing 28 bags with St. Lucie last season, he’s definitely someone to watch out for in the future.

9- Corey Coles- Regardless of what I’ve heard about his temperament with the media, it would be unfair to include Cole son this list who hit .278 with ten steals in 2004. Coles hit .342 with St. Lucie a few seasons ago and was part of the deal that brought Angel Pagan back to the Mets. A lifetime .304 hitter at the minor league level, Coles at 25, needs to make an even bigger splash soon if he wants to get to the big leagues.

8- Dante Brinkley- A new York Penn-League All-Star in 2004, Brinkley was one of the backbones of that team that season, hitting .316 with 14 steals and 30 RBI.

7- Kirk Nieuwenhuis- One of my all-time favorites. What Nieuwenhuis lacked in sheer power last season, he made up for with speed, great defense and a great attitude. Tying the team’s single season record in hits, Nieuwenhuis is another player to keep an eye on in the future.

6- Joe Holden- One of the team’s most popular players, the speedy Holden won the Sterling Award as the team’s top player in 2005 and then came back in 2006 and showed the fans he had some pop in his bat.

5- Caleb Stewart- Big Stew is a power hitter, no doubt about it. In a season and a half in Brooklyn in 2004 and 2005, the behemoth hit 10 homers and drove in 57 RBI.

4- Dustin Martin- Of all the guys I’ve mentioned so far, Martin may have the brightest future. The only real offensive force for the Clones in 2006, the trade that sent Martin and Drew Butera to the Twins for Luis Castillo may go down as one of the worst trades in Cyclones and maybe even Mets history. This kid is a stud and once he gets to the bigs, he’ll be a more than solid outfielder who can steal bags and hit for contact.

3- Ambiorix Concepcion- The enigma. Everyone knew that Concepcion was going to have a hard time duplicating the numbers he had in Brooklyn in 2004, when he hit .305 with eight homers and 46 RBI, but no one thought he’s be middling his way through the organization.

2-Angel Pagan- The team best overall outfielder in my min, Pagan was a singles machine in Brooklyn with 75 hits in 2001. He’s also the team’s all time single season stolen base leader with 30…in only 62 games.

1- Frank Corr- Say what you want about this final choice, but this guy was the team’s Frank Thomas [the white guy that played for the 62 Mets that led the team in homers]. Their first power hitter, Corr hit 13 homers and drove in 45 with 21 doubles in only 62 games in 2001. If that isn’t impressive, I don’t know what is.

Photo by Conroy Walker.

The names of the people have not been changed for their protection.

In the summer of 2006, the Brooklyn Cyclones started their season so miserably that they were forced to make wholesale changes in an effort to get the team going offensively. Alongside guys like Jon Malo and Joe Holden, right fielder Jonathan Sanchez was called up as well.

Big mistake.

Hitting .235 with nine homers and 27 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 85 games with the Hagerstown Suns that season, Sanchez was expected to provide a jolt on offense. Billed as a potential five-tool player, many thought of the guy as a solid prospect in the system and someone that at the very least could spark an otherwise flaccid offensive attack.

What he did instead was provide the Brooklyn coaching staff with headache after headache.

Not only was the guy a strikeout machine, getting called out on strikes 48 times in only 45 games, but he was a lolligagger on defense as well. Owning a gun for an arm, Sanchez felt it necessary to jog for balls hit into shallow right field and use his arm to get himself out of trouble, rather than simply hustle like the rest of the team. Add in the fact that he rarely hit the cut-man from right field, and it’s fair to say he was one of the laziest outfielders I’ve ever seen in pro ball.

Aside from his strikeout habits, Sanchez had problems keeping the ball out of the air, popping out with runners in scoring position at an almost routine basis. With runners in scoring position, where his speed could have been a huge factor, Sanchez’s uppercut swing destroyed any opportunity he had at hitting line drives or any balls on the ground.

In the end however, his attitude was perhaps his most detrimental factor.

After striking out four times one night at Keyspan Park, I asked him what was going on at the plate. I still talk about that moment with some of the other reporters that covered the team that year because even though I knew what answer I was going to get, I was sick of the fact that he consistently avoiding reporters all season, even when he was playing well. After numerous efforts from my fellow reporters to talk to another player, I ended up asking him about his game that night. He got so confrontational that two younger and much smaller reporters were forced to hide behind my 6’4 and 320 pound frame for cover.

In the clubhouse, Sanchez was a bit different. Quiet and keeping to himself most of the time, it was a weird situation, but that was mainly do to the fact that he had a picture of himself in his locker.

I wish I was making this up.

By the middle of August, it was obvious the Sanchez experiment wasn’t going to work, and he was sent back to Hagerstown.

Hitting under .200 the next season in Savannah, Sanchez ironically spent the 2008 season the Gulf Coast League, as a pitcher, going 1-2 with a 3.60 ERA in 15 games. At only 23 years old, who knows, maybe he might end up in Brooklyn again.

Maybe he might have a new picture to put in his locker as well.

Photo by Conroy Walker

Jordan Abruzzo- The team’s leader in the clubhouse and the calming factor behind the plate. Simply put, Abruzzo didn’t have to be in Brooklyn. He hit over .300 in St. Lucie and Savannah and is excellent at managing a staff. While it was obvious he wasn’t exactly thrilled to be in Brooklyn, he played his heart out and was a driving force in their success. Struggling at times, Abruzzo eventually proved why he was so successful at higher levels and even flashing some serious power from both sides of the plate as well. Combined with his other stops in the organization, Abruzzo hit .290 with 14 homers, 131 hits and 59 RBI in 122 games and 451 at-bats. Next season, he’s a guy that I see starting in High-A and ending up in Double-A. When it’s all said and done, he’s got the drive and tenacity to be a success wherever he plays. Now in winter ball with the Honolulu Sharks, it’s obvious this kid wants to play in the bigs.

Final Grade- A

Luis Alen- Another guy with a ton of desire, but unlike Abruzzo, his bat never materialized and was forced to deal with a variety of injuries. Making stops in New Orleans and St. Lucie by season’s end, Alen is someone that will benefit immensely from time off to heal. Nevertheless, his solid game-calling abilities aside, Alen wasn’t very impressive in Brooklyn this season.

Final Grade- D

Caesar Cordido- He was a pleasant surprise after being called up from Kingsport last season and while his defense was especially solid most of the season, his bat was often sporadic. He did hit .320 over his last 10 games to somewhat solidify his presence in the organization, but I truly believe that Cordido is someone that has to start everyday to see what he’s truly capable of. 74 at bats is just not enough for him. He’s pushing 24 and needs more playing time.

Final Grade B-

Ralph Henriquez- Another guy that needed more playing time. Much like Abruzzo though, Henriquez showed some pop from both sides of the plate, but never got enough of an opportunity. Traded for Josh Appell before the season started, many saw Henriquez, a former second round pick, as the team’s starting catcher this season. That obviously didn’t happen. However, after leaving Brooklyn, he hit .273 with Savannah, but in the end, only accumulated 95 AB’s by the end of the season. If this guy is going to move up in the organization, that’s going to have to change fast.

Final Grade- D+

Photos by Ron Hatcher

Powered by a two-homer night from catcher Jordan Abruzzo, the Baby Bums kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-1 win over the Hudson Valley Renegades Sunday night, climbing to just a half game behind the Jamestown Jammers for the NYPL Wild Card spot.

“It feels like we can’t lose,” said Cyclones starter Scott Shaw. “But we can’t stop there. We have six games left and we have to keep winning.”

Despite giving up eight hits, Shaw limited the Hudson Valley offense to only one run over 5.1 innings pitched.

Hudson Valley starter Shane Dyer was just as solid early on, but gave up an Abruzzo solo-homer in the fourth that gave Brooklyn a 1-0 lead.

Looking for their eighth win in a row, the Cyclones admitted they would have liked to give Shaw some more offensive support, but loved his perseverance on the mound in spite of it.

“When a pitcher doesn’t have his best stuff and pitches that way, you have to be proud,” Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo said. “He gave us a chance to win tonight.”

Showing the moxie of a playoff team, the Clones got the lead right back in the bottom of the sixth after an Ike Davis single and an error by Renegades right fielder Kyeong Kang allowed Eric Campbell, who reached on an error earlier in the inning by Hudson Valley shortstop Robi Estrada, to score and give them their one-run lead back at 2-1.

Johnson continued to pitch for Brooklyn and twirled scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth, while Abruzzo added his second homer in the bottom of the eighth to put the Mets Single-A affiliate up by two runs with only one inning left to play.

Johnson then returned to the mound on the ninth and retired the side in order, giving the Baby Bums their eighth consecutive victory.

With losses by Staten Island and Jamestown on Sunday, Brooklyn is now three games out of first place in the McNamara Division and a half game back of the Wild Card.

Nevertheless, Brooklyn knows they can’t afford to count their chickens before they hatch and must continue winning in order to secure a post-season birth.

“We keep this up, who knows what could happen,” said Johnson. “We’re making it interesting. That’s for sure.”

Notes-

While the Cyclones coaching staff said on Sunday that Reese Havens’ return could be as soon as today, with the Mets first round pick taking batting practice on Sunday and looking like he’s awfully close to 100 percent, the team still feels like it may keep him out of the lineup longer.

“He’s ready to play, but I don’t know,” said Alfonzo. “In terms of his career, it’s not important for him to play right now. Maybe he’ll DH or pinch-hit here and there, but we don’t want him to go out there and get hurt and miss more time. We need to be careful.”

With Wilmer Flores thriving in Brooklyn [seven hits in his first four games], the Mets Single-A affiliate could have an interesting situation develop over the final week of the season.

Cyclones first baseman Ike Davis is hitting .351 over his past 10 games and has a nine-game hitting streak.

“I hope he keeps hitting this way,” said Alfonzo. “We need him hot over the last six games.”

Update 9:30 P.M.-

With 12 strikeouts tonight, Cyclones starter Brad Holt has broken the record for most K’s in a season by a Brooklyn pitcher. The previous record was 93 by Kevin Deaton in 2002.

Photos by Ron Hatcher.

Powered by a two dinger night from Sean Ratliff and three costly errors by their opponents, the Baby Bums kept their playoff hopes alive with a 6-5 win over the Valley Cats and go into this week’s All-Star game with a renewed sense of purpose.

“They are playing better now,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo. “I hope we continue to play the way we have been. It’s not over yet. Anything can happen.”

Things didn’t start Brooklyn’s way however, as the Valley Cats jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first after a Jason Castro two-run homer off Brooklyn starter and NYPL All-Star Chris Schwinden. The Mets Single-A affiliate stormed right back in the bottom half of the inning however, getting four hits and a RBI single and sacrifice fly from Eric Campbell and Jose Jimenez, tying the score at 2-2.

With the score still tied in the bottom of the fourth, Brooklyn got the lead on a Ratliff solo homer and kept it behind stellar pitching from Schwinden. Hurling four scoreless innings after the rocky first, the 22nd round pick looked to be in prime position to earn his fourth win of the season.

Things abruptly fell apart for the 21-year-old in the seventh though, as an error by JR Voyles allowed a run to score to tie the game and a RBI double by Ronald Ramirez put the Valley Cats ahead 4-3.

“I was attacking hitters pretty well,” said Schwinden. “But I was throwing my curve ball too much to some hitters and they capitalized. You can only get away with things for so long.”

With two outs in the seventh, Schwinden was replaced by Yury Santana, who gave up a RBI single from JT Shuck that gave Tri-City a two-run lead with only two and a half innings left to play.

The Mets Single-A affiliate came right back in the game in the bottom half of the seventh again after a solo homer from Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Santana kept Tri-City scoreless in the eighth and Roy Merritt pitched a scoreless ninth, giving the offense every opportunity to get back in the game and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Brooklyn did just that in the ninth, as Ratliff homered again, tying the game at 5-5.

“I got some good wood tonight,” said Ratliff. “It feels real good to start hitting balls hard now. Hopefully, it continues.”

After Merritt hurled another scoreless frame in the tenth, the Cyclones offense got cooking again, as Seth Williams lead off the inning with a single, while Jordan Abruzzo reached on an error and advanced to second to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. After a Jimenez strike out, Ike Davis was intentionally walked, loading the bases for Juan Legares.

What looked like an innocent double-play opportunity, after Legares grounded right to Tri-City pitcher Ashton Mowdy, turned into a disaster for Tri-City when Valley Cats backstop Castro threw the possibly inning-ending out into right field, allowing Abruzzo to score, giving Brooklyn a 6-5 win

Still five games out of first place after the victory, the Clones feel confident going into the All-Star break and feel they still have a shot at nabbing a post season birth.

“It was a huge win tonight,” said Ratliff. “It’s good to gain ground and to go out on a positive note before we come back to work after the All-Star break.”

Notes-

Brooklyn Dodger Carl Erskine was honored before the game and played the National Anthem on his harmonica.

Reese Havens groin pull will apparently keep him out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, as Alfonzo had no time table for his return.

“We’re trying to be careful with him,” he said. “We don’t want him to get hurt again.”

New Podcast!

Interview with Sean Ratliff after the game. Like always, you download it here on I-Tunes or stream it on the web here. Enjoy!

Pics by Jim Dolan and Ron Hatcher.