Cyclones of 2012

[Edgy MD]

The Clones opened their season at home with a 2-0 shutout victory (and shutouts are best kind of 3-0 victories) over the Staten Island Yankees. Gabriel Ynoa pitched three innings giving up three hits, striking out four and walking none in search of his missing vowel. Dawrin Frias pitched two innings for the win, giving up one hit, one walk and striking out two, as he tried to get his juxtaposed consanants in order. Recent draftee Tyler Vanderheiden pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two for the save.

Brandon Nimmo went 0-3, but his eighth inning walk started the two-run rally that led to the win, with him breaking the scoreless tie, coming home on a bases-loaded walk by leftfielder Stefan Sabol, another recent signee.

The Cyclones are again led by manager Rich Donnelly. Nineties Expo and Marlin Marc Valdes is the pitching coach. Former Met prospect Bobby Malek coaches the hitters, which may make him the first former Cyclone to return to the team as a coach, but I somehow doubt it.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: Brandon Nimmo went 0-3, but his eighth inning walk started the two-run rally that led to the win, with him breaking the scoreless tie, coming home on a bases-loaded walk by leftfielder Stefan Sabol, another recent signee.

Finally!
The Mets have a player who exhibits Jeter intangibles.
Later

[Edgy MD]

Cyclones, like their daddy club, win by five --- in their case, a 6-1 victory over the Staten Islanders.

Luis Mateo an older DSL vet, gets the start and is dominant, going 5 2/3, giving up two hits and one run, striking out nine and walking one. Nimmo starting in center again, batted second, and went 1-3 with two walks and a run.

[Frayed Knot]

Luis Mateo an older DSL vet, gets the start and is dominant, going 5 2/3, giving up two hits and one run, striking out nine and walking one.

Some notes from BA on Mateo:
-- Luis Mateo, rhp, Mets:
In the international scouting community, Mateo is far from an unknown. The Giants signed him for $625,000 four years ago, but voided his contract when they found bone chips in his elbow. Then in November 2008, the Padres signed him for $300,000, but that deal fell apart due to MLB's investigation into his background, which eventually revealed that Mateo had falsely shaved two years off his age. After serving a suspension, Mateo finally signed with the Mets last year for $150,000, then went out and dominated the Dominican Summer League. In his U.S. debut on Tuesday for short-season Brooklyn, Mateo struck out nine with one walk, two hits and one run allowed in 5 2/ 3 innings. The 22-year-old Mateo had anything but a typical development path, but his size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) and stuff are promising, with a 91-94 mph fastball that touches a few ticks higher, along with a power slider and an occasional changeup.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

The Cyclones are on SNY tonight. Sabol up, righthanded hitter, Hudson Valley puts on a big shift. He grounds a ball through the empty right side to score a run.

Ojeda: "That's a routine grounder to second. What, did they scout his little league games?"

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Some of the Class of '12 young'uns are doing okay for themselves tonight. 6th-rounder Jayce Boyd has two doubles and a triple, and supplemental 1st-rounder Kevin Plawecki just hit a game-tying HR in the 9th... all in snazzy, uni-coordinated 4th-of-July stars-and-stripes-logo hats.

'12er Tyler Vanderheiden warms up to pitch the 11th. With that name, I bet he fucks things up, then asks his dad the CEO to cover him.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

My new boy is about to win this thing...

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

... in about the least dramatic way he could have, but still. WALK-OFF SAC LINER!

Wait-- there are Cyclones cheerleaders? In minidresses? Yoy.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

That's a pretty hot pro debut though. 3-5, 2 doubles, a triple, and the game-winning walkoff RBI in the 11th, in a televised game on a Mets offnight.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Even the foul balls were punished, too. Guy's way stronger than he looks.

[Edgy MD]

Clones give us a 15-inning four-hit shutout.

Over the Yankees, to add a little flava to that soup.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Headed to the game this evening, some kid named Johan Santana starting for the 'Clones.

Gonna stalk Jayce Boyd too.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Santana pitched three scoreless innings for the Cyclones last night, although he gave up a single and a walk in one inning. He looked to me like he was walking very slowly to and from the dugout but had his way with the Auburn Doubledays, the Nationals' NYP team.


They faced a wild lefty who hit Nimmo in the back to lead off the home first. Phillip Evans walked, and after a Jayce Boyd grounder got them to 2nd and 3rd, Kevin Pawlecki singled for two runs. Stefan Sabol then doubled him home so it was 3-0 after 1.

Doubledays made, I think, 5 errors which helped the Cyclones add another 3 runs in the 2nd. Evans, who was a high school SS they Mets' overslotted for and signed in last year's draft, is a really short guy: Listed 5-10 but that's generous. He's also kind of stocky and strong. Here he is smashing a 2-run homer in the 2nd:



Getting congrats at the plate from Dimas Ponce (11) and my boy Jayce Boyd.

Other observations: Sabol in LF made a very nice diving catch, as did Nimmo in CF. Nimmo went 0-4 with the HBP, but faced lefties each time I think. Sabol is a RH hitter with a habit of shooting his ass backwards when he swings. My adoptee Jayce Boyd didn't do much offensively but looked natural at first base, made a nice leaping catch and sweeptag to save an inf error.

Sabol.

Pawlecki collected the Schaefer with 3 hits including a double. He was DHing, Nelfi Zapata caught, had 2 hits but made a really bad snap-throw. A Mexican I'd never heard of, Juan Gamboa, played second.


Here's RFer Eudy Pina, whose name is pronounced ELdee Pina.

Righhander Julian Hilario relieved Santana after 3 and pitched scoreless through the 8th when a tornado and crazy rain canceled the conclusion, 8-0 is your Cyclones final.

[MFS62]

Thanks for the pics, JCL.
Later

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

That is a tasty minor-league report.

[Frayed Knot]

Four Cyclones make BA's NY-Penn Lg year-end Top-20
-- http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/league-top-20-prospects/2012/2614118.html (just a list - no write-ups unless you're a subscriber)

5 - RHP Luis Mateo
11 - OF Brandon Nimmo
12 - RHP Hansel Robles
18 - SS Phillip Evans


also, they do point out that the earlier deadline for signing this year (and the more restrictive $$ rules) gave the league more college-age players than in the past and Nimmo & Robles are just 19 y/o. Mateo is 22; Evans 21

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, how about Mateo?

Seems like the undervalued resources the Mets want to corner the market on is guys who've been devalued due to indiscretions or injuries.