Sure, his batting average cold be a bit higher, but I’m sure the Mets are more than happy with his on-base percentage and his RBI totals, especially considering the fact that he’s sharing third base duties with another former Cyclone in Matt Bouchard. In just 125 at bats, Lutz is fourth on the team in RBI and has the highest OBP of any player with more than 100 ABS. 12 of his 32 hits have also been for extra bases, making him a more than ample extra base threat. I said it before and I still feel the same way; if Lutz can stay healthy, he’s one of the best hitting prospects in the Mets system and someone that could be another Daniel Murphy-type player for the Mets in the future.

Scott Shaw- 2-3, 3.43 ERA in 11 starts with St. Lucie.

As always, Shaw is Mr. Steady and continues to have the type of control that will get him noticed as he climbs up the ladder. In 63 innings, the southpaw has 18 walks, not too shabby. Opposing hitters are hitting .246 off him as well. Is a call-up to Double-A in his cards sometime soon? As of right now, as signs point to yes.

Nick Carr- 2.82 ERA, three saves with St. Lucie.

After a miserable season in 2008 as a starter, Carr seems to have taken to the reliever role quite nicely.

Emmanuel Garcia- .279 BA, three dingers, 24 RBI with B-Mets.

Another guy who is bouncing back from a mediocre season last year. With dynamic speed and an Ichiro-like demeanor at the plate [he gets out of the box in a hurry], Garcia has the capability to be an excellent lead-off hitter. However, his strikeout totals remain too high. He simply has to take more pitches, or else, he’ll be more of a Lance Johnson-single-machine type. His 15 extra base hits and 47 singles so far this season are a testament to that.

DJ Wabick- .306 BA, one homer, 29 RBI with B-Mets.

A good contact hitter who can play the outfield and first base, Wabick has the potential to be a useful bench player in the big leagues one day. Needs to draw more walks and hit better against left handed pitching before that happens though.

While Dan Murphy and Nick Evans are currently hitting over .300 and positioned atop the teams leader board in hitting this spring, several other former baby bums have been swinging well as well.

Even four Cyclones from last year got a call, as Sean Ratliff, Zach Lutz, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Ike Davis have garnered plate appearances, with mixed success. Lutz and Nieuwenhuis each have a double a piece in three combined at bats, while Ratliff and Davis have gone hitless in four at bats.

It should be very interesting to see what happens with Lutz, who despite showing remarkable poise at the plate in his minor league plate appearances, has had tremendous problems staying healthy over the past two seasons. A good and injury-free showing in the Grapefruit League could help get him back on track.

The same thing goes for former Cyclone Angel Pagan, who looks ready to rock again after spending most of last season on the shelf after a fast start and is hitting .467 in 15 at-bats.

On the pitching side of things, Dillon Gee has looked decent in three appearances, but doesn’t seem ready for the show as of yet. Some more seasoning in Double-A with a stop in Triple-A before his big league debut should do the trick for him. Carlos Muniz also seems like another pitcher that could use a bit more seasoning, but at 28 years old, you wonder if he’ll ever be able to reproduce the stellar numbers he put up in Brooklyn, in Queens.

2005 Cyclone Bobby Parnell looks a bit more polished than he did in his small cup of coffee with the team last season and could be someone to keep an eye out for as well.

Other notables include Mike Antonini and Roy Merritt, who have also seen time in Spring Training with much different results. Antonini has thrown two scoreless innings this Spring, while Merritt, who is still developing his secondary pitches to compliment an excellent slider and a average fastball, is still finding out what he needs to do in order to be successful. In just a third of an inning of work, the lefty-side-armer has given up three runs and two hits.

Photo by Ron Hatcher

Forgive me for feeling a little musical today.

The Lisa Loeb “Do You Sleep?” Award-

No real need for nominees here, since 99.9 % of the team had no problem getting to sleep this season except for one person.

The winner is… Chris Schwinden.

For those who forgot about the piece I wrote about him a month and a half ago, the guy spent more time playing video games in his dorm at night than sleeping. Nevertheless, he was a vital cog on the staff and someone that will be worth keeping an eye on for the next few years.

The Matt Costa “Long December” award… given to the player that needs the most overall work on his game.

Nominees-

Ike Davis- Problems at the plate for most of the season played a huge part in the team’s lost playoff hopes.

Mike Lynn- Aside from battling injuries, Lynn never looked comfortable on the mound at Keyspan.

JR Voyles- Despite starting out strong again in his second season with the team, Voyles again managed to leave something to be desired on defense and at the plate down stretch.

And the winner is… JR Voyles.

Last season, Voyles battled a slew of injuries so his falter down the stretch last year was excusable. This season however, Voyles’ play was questionable and was void of the consistency that made him a cult hero his first two months with the team last season.

The Metallica “Sad, But True” award… given to a player who had an unavoidable run of bad luck during the season.

Nominees-

Reese Havens- The team’s most enigmatic hitter, Havens battled injuries to his elbow and groin and was never truly capable of showing what he was capable of.

Zach Lutz- The team’s offensive MVP through the first 20 games of the season, Lutz was never fully healthy during the season, but that didn’t stop him from hitting over .330.

Matt Bouchard- hit .294 before going down with a lower back injury and missing the rest of the season.

And the Winner is… Zach Lutz.

Simply put, Lutz is one of the best pure hitters to ever wear a Brooklyn Cyclones uniform. Losing him for the second season in a row wasn’t good for Lutz or the organization.

The Donna Summer “Hot Stuff” Award…given to the pitcher with the best overall repertoire.

Nominees-

Scott Shaw- Fastball, Changeup, Curveball, and Slider. All are capable of being out pitches

Jenrry Mejia- 95-97 mph fastball and a sweet 12-6 curveball.

Yury Santana- A plus fastball and a slider that ranks better than many major leaguers.

And the winner is… Scott Shaw. I really considered Brad Holt as a nominee, but I think he’s someone that in time will develop a great repertoire of pitches. Right now, Shaw has a great compliment of pitches that should get better as he progresses.

Update- 12:00 Sunday

I have just founded a new site, AcesOverBrooklyn.com, which will chronicle my coverage of the Brooklyn Aces, the borough’s first pro hockey team. If you like this site, you’re sure to love this one as well!

Photos by Ron Hatcher

Despite finishing with an impressive 45-30 record this season, the Mets Single-A affiliate failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and the first time in Alfonzo’s three years as skipper.

Dealing with injuries to stars Zach Lutz and Reese Havens and the ineffectiveness of 2008 top pick Ike Davis, Alfonzo’s high-energy style as coach seemed to be wearing thin by season’s end. Usually jovial to reporters in his customary post-game press conferences, Alfonzo looked emotionally exhausted by September.

However, in typical Alfonzo fashion, the former NY-Penn League manager of the year has been outspoken about his team’s play this offseason, saying that he was pleased with the fortitude his young team showed on the field and was ultimately proud of the way they performed down the stretch.

“I told these guys all season that it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish,” said Alfonzo via telephone from the Mets Instructional League in Florida. “We had so many injuries to deal with and they really came together in the end. We had the Wild Card spot until the last day of the season; we were right there. I was frustrated at times because of the injuries, but I know that these guys gave me everything they had.”

After the team’s last game of the season on September 5, Alfonzo joked that he needed a break from coaching, saying that he told Mets fielding coordinator Kevin Morgan he needed a month off. Three weeks after that statement and ten months from the start of the 2009 NY-Penn League season however, Alfonzo is back at it, coaching various prospects in the organization, most of them from Brooklyn.

“These guys are working very hard and are learning a lot,” Alfonzo, who has served at several different positions in the organization over the past decade, said. “I’ve had a lot of fun with them here. Guys like [Cyclones outfielder] Sean Ratliff and [Cyclones first baseman] Ike Davis have shown me a lot. They are absorbing all the information and are playing very well.”

Before Alfonzo’s return in 2007, the team had a different manager every season of their history and since then, has become a fan favorite in Brooklyn and is synonymous with the team’s success.

In spite of that, Alfonzo himself said that he doesn’t know if the organization will ask him to come back to Brooklyn and while he refused to say what his own intentions are for next season, he did say that he’s loved every minute of his time at Keyspan Park.

“Aside from the big leagues, Brooklyn is the best place to manage in the Mets organization,” said Alfonzo. “I don’t know what the organizations plans are for me next season, but I know that I’ve really enjoyed my time there.”

Photo by Ron Hatcher.

For the first few weeks of the season, things seemed to be going according to plan, as he was outshining every player on the team, including the trio of Mets first round picks, Ike Davis, Reese Havens and Brad Holt.

Coming into the season with a vastly redefined upper body, Lutz appeared to be in the best shape of his life.

Looks can sometimes be deceiving though.

Currently rehabbing in Florida after re-injuring his foot a few weeks ago, Lutz was hitting .333 with three homers and 12 RBI in only 24 games with Brooklyn this season and admits now that he was only playing at 75-80 percent during that time. Skeptical of his return to Brooklyn this year, Lutz has been told by the organization to put this season behind him and focus on 2009.

“I hate to say this, but from what we’ve been talking about, the focus is really on the long-term,” he said. “The organization and I really don’t want to come back and risk anything. I want to play more than anything right now and everybody knows it, but everyone is telling me to look out for myself and my future. It really hurts when you hear something like that, but when you sit down and think about it, it makes perfect sense.”

Seen icing his foot after nearly every home game this season in Brooklyn, many reporters wondered just how hurt Lutz actually was, but considering how exceptional his play was on the field, no one thought it was anything more than soreness from a year on the shelf.

Things were a lot worse than they seemed however.

“Every three or four games, I’d have to sit out because it [his foot] was acting up,” said Lutz. “There were times after games this season where I couldn’t even walk without it hurting. Right now, I really don’t know what the point would be in trying to come back because I’m not even at the level I was at when I was there. I don’t feel I’m even close to that level now. I have a walking boot on now and I still have problems with my quad.”

For a 22-year-old that has been a star at every level of baseball he’s played at, staying away from the game may be a bit tougher than it seems. A student of the game, Lutz spent the offseason in 2007 throwing baseballs with his mother and working out his upper body with his father, all while keeping his foot elevated like the Mets wanted him to, for nearly five months. By doing so and playing injured this season, Lutz has proven he’s a warrior that wants to succeed in professional baseball, perhaps more than anyone else in the sport today.

Knowing that, the next few months may be difficult ones for him.

“When I was in college, I’d have a game at three right after school and by six, I’d be home running or have my mom throw golf balls at me,” Lutz said. “I’d have a class the next day at 7:45 and I’d be up at 5:30 running and hitting. This is what I love to do and it hurts so bad not to be able to do it. I just have to be patient now. I’m only 22 and I don’t want to risk losing my career. There’s nothing I can do. ”

Nevertheless, Lutz is focused on coming back a better player and one that is completely healthy.

“I’m going to come into Spring Training in great shape,” he said. “I want to get back to where I was before and I’m going to everything I can to get there. I know I was doing well when I was in Brooklyn, but I know I could do more. When I would hit a ground ball toward the line at third, I know that I could run it out if I wasn’t hurt. The same thing goes for some of the singles I hit that could have been doubles. I stole a bunch of bases in college too and to not be able to do that was really frustrating. I want to make sure it never happens again.”

Link-

Box Score to last night’s 8-3 Cyclones Win.

Photos by Jim Dolan and Ron Hatcher.

John Servidio though has been the most consistent of the ragtag bunch of Brooklyn players that have kept the team in playoff contention this season.

Neverthless, in a move reminiscent of the 2006 Cyclones that some felt made more roster moves than their big league counterparts in order to win ballgames, the Barry University product was sent to Kingsport on July 11 in an effort to spark the offense that was collectively hitting just under .250. Scoring only eight runs in four games without their leading RBI man, Servidio was back in the Cyclones lineup on July 15, completing a wild four-day trip along the East Coast.

10-7 since Servidio rejoined the team, the coaching staff doesn’t see him going anywhere again this season.

“He was our best player the first few games,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo. “We’re happy to have him back now too. He makes us better and does a lot of things for us.”

Despite missing a few games while in Kingsport, Servidio is still leading the team with 16 RBI and is tied for the team lead with three home runs this season, which has cemented himself as the everyday right fielder in Brooklyn. Possessing a rocket of an arm in the outfield as well, Servidio has four outfield assists and has made several spectacular catches at Keyspan. That all combined with a big smile and boundless energy on the field have quickly made him a fan favorite.

For those reasons, Servidio originally had a hard time understanding why he had been demoted. However, he believes his time away from Brooklyn gave him a better understanding of how the business of professional baseball works and how things can change in an instant.

“There was a lot of different emotions running through my mind at first,” said Servidio. “I was really bitter at first, but ultimately it comes down to the way I play and it doesn’t matter if it’s the Gulf Coast League, here or anywhere else. I was upset at first because this is the first pro team I’ve ever played for and all the guys that have been here since the beginning bonded. I didn’t want to play anywhere else.”

Obviously never getting an opportunity to acclimate himself in Kingsport, Servidio is thrilled to be back in Brooklyn.

“I was happy and excited to pack my bags,” Servidio said. “Everything feels like it’s coming back together now. Over there [in Kingsport] is more like you’re put on the field every day to play, but here is more of like a college mentality. This team wants to win every day and we’re all really close. I really love it here.”

Now with an opportunity to continue to thrive with teammates he respects and cares for and fans that cheer for him as soon as he steps on to the field, the 23-year-old doesn’t have to be reminded to soak in every special moment.
Because to him, being able to play professional baseball everyday is a dream come true.

“I’m where I dreamed to be,” he said. “Even when I’m struggling, I’m not in a bad place. I know that I’ll work through it. I know I’m not here by accident, but I’ll never take it for granted that I’m here. I go to bed every night happy and I wake up every day ready to have the best day of my life.”

Link:

Box Score to last night’s Cyclones 3-2 win

Video:

Cyclones in Pictures July

[youtube BoeqC3jrS4Y]

Photos by Ron Hatcher.

Eric Campbell isn’t one of those players.

Hitting .283 with 13 RBI through the team’s first 35 games in ’08, the Brooklyn Cyclones third baseman/left fielder believes he’s just getting started proving what he’s capable of on the field.

At 6’3 and 220 pounds, many originally saw Campbell as a DH or someone who would contribute more with his bat than his glove and legs. After half a season in Brooklyn however, Campbell has shown a more than adequate arm from the hot corner and has even proved he could play left field when asked upon. The same thing can be said about his legs, which he’s used to get to balls down the third base line and up against the left field wall that no one thought he had any business near.

Modest and laid back off the field, Campbell is the kind of person that would have a problem telling the collective baseball world, “I told you so.”

He does understand where those same people are coming from though when they try to put a book together on him.

“It’s been like that my entire life,” he said. “After about 30 games, people begin to notice that I’m not a big slow guy.”

Much like the soup that bears his surname, this Campbell comes in many flavors. A lead-off hitter in High School, Campbell knows how to get on base. While his one homer in 35 games may not be eye-popping for a guy with his size and strength, his 17 walks and .392 on-base percentage are stats too big to fit inside a can of “Chunky Minestrone,” making him a hitter that can hurt you with a lot more than a long ball.

Originally looking like he was lost in the shuffle while Dan Murphy and Ryan Church were rehabbing with the team in late June, Campbell has become one of the main ingredients in the team’s offensive attack this season. With Zach Lutz still nursing a variety of injuries as well, it seems that Campbell’s playing time will only increase as the season goes on.

Campbell isn’t thinking about where he’ll be in the lineup once Lutz comes back however and is instead focusing on making the most of the opportunity that has been given to him.

“All I can do is go out there and produce when my name is called,” said Campbell. “Obviously, I want to be in the lineup every day, but I know if I start to do what I have to when they call on me that I’ll stick in the lineup. I think that’s starting to happen now.”

With the team finally back at .500 after a week or so of consistent baseball, players like Campbell will be counted on down the stretch if the Cyclones are to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

Confident his game will continue to improve, Campbell is determined to make a lasting impression with the fans in Brooklyn and help the team get back on track.

“Wherever they put me on the field, I have to continue to produce,” he said. “If I keep hitting the way I have been and can get even hotter, I know that I can stay in the lineup.”

Notes-

From the look of the box score, 2007 hero Jason Jacobs is back in town, which may be indicative to the seriousness of Ike Davis’ ankle injury he suffered on Monday in Staten Island. When the team comes back home on Saturday, expect a full-status update on Davis as well as a catch up with Jacobs, who is easily one of the nicest guys to ever put on a uniform in Brooklyn.

Link:

Box Score to yesterday’s 5-4 Cyclones win.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr. and Ron Hatcher.

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.”

Link:

Box Score to Last Night’s 4-3 Cyclone Win

Photos by Ron Hatcher and Patrick Hickey Jr.

The rest of his teammates didn’t help the cause much either though, amassing only two extra-base hits and committing two costly errors in a 6-4 loss.

“We scored four runs today,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo of his team that ended up with 12 hits on the night. “I know this team is going to score runs. Again, we were one hit away from winning the game. We finished the game strong too, so I’m proud of them for that.”

Jim Fuller made his first professional start for the Cyclones and despite giving up two hits to start the game, the lefty managed to keep the Renegades off the board in the first. Giving up another hit in the second, Fuller was saved after John Servidio made his fourth outfield assist of the season, nailing Michael Ross at the plate and keeping the game scoreless.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis got the Cyclones on the board with an RBI single in the second, scoring Mets fourth round pick Sean Ratliff, who singled earlier in his first professional at bat.

The lead wouldn’t last for long however, as the third inning was also an adventure for Fuller, who left the game with the base loaded in favor of reliever Wendy Rosa.

“He threw the ball well for his first start here in Brooklyn,” said Cyclones catcher Ralph Henriquez of Fuller. “He had good stuff. He was a lot better than it looked.”

The Cyclones reliever couldn’t keep Fuller’s shutout though, walking Ross and allowing a run to cross the plate to tie the game. That was all the offense Hudson Valley could muster however, as catcher John Mollicone grounded out to Brooklyn third baseman Zach Lutz to end the inning.

Brooklyn then got back on top in the third, as Davis scorched an opposite field double that scored Matt Bouchard. Things then began to fall apart for Renegades starter Chris Andujar, who ended up surrendering an RBI ground out from Zach Lutz, giving the Mets Single-A affiliate a 3-1 lead.

Both teams then made pitching changes in the sixth, as Manny Olivares came into the game for Brooklyn and Rob Della Grotta came out of the Hudson Valley bullpen and replaced Andujar. Both pitched scoreless frames in the sixth, but Olivares ended up coughing up the lead, giving up a bases loaded single to pinch-hitter Anthony Scelfo, which tied the score at 3-3.

Mike Lynn came into the game in eighth for Brooklyn and only lasted two hitters, getting Mark Thomas to ground out and walking Jason Appel. Lefty side-armer Roy Merritt made his Keyspan debut and instead of getting out of the inning on a routine ground ball that should have been converted into a double play, Cyclones shortstop Matt Bouchard missed second baseman Josh Satin and threw the ball into right field, allowing a run to score and gave Hudson Valley a 4-3 lead with only one out.

A Jason Corder sacrifice fly later in the eighth also padded the Renegades lead, giving them a two-run cushion with only two innings left to play.

“Roy gave me exactly what I wanted with the bases loaded,” said Bouchard. “I rushed it a bit though and I was a bit off balance. I was too quick with it. I really wanted to get the double play.”

Unlike earlier in the week, the Cyclones didn’t have any come from behind magic in them tonight, as Joshua Satow, who replaced Della Grotta in the seventh, kept the Baby Mets off the scoreboard in the eighth. Merritt continued pitching in the ninth and gave up a Mollicone RBI single, giving the Renegades a three-run lead with Brooklyn’s last licks on the way.

Coming in after Satow gave up a Henriquez single, Renegades closer Travis Risser proved to be no where near as potent as his team’s offense, but was saved by solid defense. Giving up a RBI single from Murphy that scored Henriquez, Risser got Zach Lutz to ground into a a game-ending double-play, putting the finishing touches on a 6-4 Renegades win.

“We had a lot of chances, but we didn’t take advantage of them,” said Bouchard, who had two hits on the night, to go along with two errors. “Our hits weren’t timely either, we put together a couple of good innings late. If we would have put them together earlier, things could have turned out different.”

Notes-

According to a source in the organization, the Mets other first round pick, Reese Havens, is expected to DH today in the second game of the series against Hudson Valley.

Daniel Murphy concluded his rehab assignment with the Clones last night, amassing seven hits and two RBI in just three games and is scheduled to rejoin the Double-A B-Mets today.

“He’s a professional hitter,” said Alfonzo. “He can hit.”

Alfonzo also announced that outfielder Brandon Kawal [stiff back] and Luis Alen [chin laceration] have been added to the Disabled List to make room for Havens. Alfonzo also expects a roster move to take place tomorrow to help sort out a team that is currently carrying six outfielders and three catchers.

Video-

Cyclones LF Sean Ratliff singles in his first pro AB

[youtube D97HTLrpmAM]

Photos by Ron Hatcher, Video by Patrick Hickey Jr.

That doesn’t mean that Lutz doesn’t understand the impact the Hall of Famer had on the game though.

“Growing up, my dad and I were huge Mets fans, but there’s no doubt, Mike Schmidt is the greatest third baseman of all time,” said Lutz who is hitting .429 with five RBI through the Cyclones first four games this season. “He’s a Hall of Famer for a reason.”

Stoic, yet passionate on the field, Schmidt, who was at Keyspan park on June 19 in conjunction with Prostate Awareness Night, was a huge fan favorite during his playing days and someone millions of kids growing up in the suburbs of Pennsylvania and mean streets of Philly aspired to be like.

“I respected the passion of the people in Philadelphia; it’s something they grew up with,” said Schmidt. “I’ll never be remembered as a get down and dirty Lenny Dykstra type, but I think I survived the test of time. What really impresses people is how long I lasted in the big leagues and it’s something that I’m really proud of.”

Even today, Schmidt’s reputation in Philadelphia and the baseball world is still one of legend. Growing up, Lutz, too, must have heard countless people tell him that he could be the next Schmidt.

“I’ve watched a lot of tape of him,” said Lutz, who was just barely three years old when Schmidt decided to hang up his cleats. “You’d be surprised how much you could learn from watching tape of someone that good.”

Still only five games into his professional career, Lutz knows that he still has a lot to learn, but already has shown the same kind of moxy that made Schmidt a star in the game, running hard on every ground ball he’s hit so far this season and showing remarkable range from third.

“We’ve been so impressed with the way he’s played this year,” said Cyclones skipper Edgar Alfonzo. “He’s worked so hard this offseason and it really shows on the field.”

While he didn’t get a chance to pick Schmidt’s brain before or after the game like he would have liked, Schmidt had some advice for him and anyone else that wants to make it to the big leagues one day. A game that looks much different than it did when he played 25 years ago.

“There’s so much more talent at every level of baseball today,” said Schmidt, who was also an 11-time All-Star during his career. “There were probably 100 players vying for my spot when I was at this level and it narrowed out as I climbed the ladder. Today, there are probably 2,500 players trying to vie for a spot on a big league team. To surface as the number one guy out of 2,500 means you’ve developed as a player far more than I did when I was playing in the 70s. Because of that, I have a lot of respect for these kids. The talent pool today is incredibly high, but if you work hard everyday and watch the great players and try and emulate them and spend time in the offseason to perfect your craft, you’ll be headed in the right direction.”

Notes:

Ike Davis signed?- According to a source in the Mets organization, first round pick Ike Davis is expected to sign with team by the MLB All-Star break at the latest.

Church in Keyspan?- The source also confirmed that Ryan Church will be joining the Cyclones on  Thursday.

Photos by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Links:

Box Score to last night’s 4-2 Cyclones win.