Brooklyn wins first NYPL title since 2001
Here’s a look at the top performances of the past week by Mets prospects in the Minor Leagues:
Tuesday, Sept. 10: Cyclones win NYPL title
The Brooklyn Cyclones received a dominant relief outing from Matthew Allan and picked up some timely hits along the way as they edged Class A Short-Season Lowell, 4-3, to secure their first New York-Penn League title since 2001.
After splitting the first two games of best-of-three championship series, the Cyclones jumped out to an early lead in Tuesday’s winner-take-all Game 3 with a two-spot in the second inning. First-round pick Brett Baty (Mets’ No. 2, MLB No. 82) drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on Ranfy Adon’s double to left field. Two batters later, Jake Mangum (No. 24) plated Baty with a single to right, and Brooklyn tacked on another run via a groundout before the end of the frame. Mangum picked up his second hit of the game in the seventh, then came around to score on Antoine Duplantis’ game-tying RBI triple. Yoel Romero subsequently plated Duplantis with a single to put the Cyclones ahead for good.
Allan (No. 4), the club’s third-round pick from this year’s Draft, entered out of the bullpen in the fourth inning and retired the first nine batters he faced while running his plus fastball up to 97 mph. He notched a pair of strikeouts as well as five groundouts and threw 20 of 24 pitches for strikes. It was the second perfect outing in the postseason for the 18-year-old righty after he worked two frames en route to a win against Hudson Valley in the NYPL semifinals.
Andrew Edwards tossed a clean eighth inning, but allowed two of Lowell’s first three batters to reach base in the ninth. However, the 22-year-old left-hander quickly bounced back, recording back-to-back swinging strikeouts to seal both the win and a Cyclones title. Tuesday's prospect stats »
Monday, Sept. 9: Cyclones drop Game 2
The Class A Short-Season Brooklyn Cyclones dropped Game 2 of the New York-Penn League finals, 3-1, and will play a winner-take-all Game 3 on Tuesday. No. 2 prospect Matt Baty (MLB No. 81) and Joe Geonard were the only two Cyclones to reach base multiple times in the loss. Baty, the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s Draft, went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, while Geonard scored a run as part of a 3-for-4. On the mound, Corey Gaconi kept the Cyclones in the game by tossing 2 2/3 hitless with four strikeouts out of the bullpen. Monday's prospect stats »
Sunday, Sept. 8: First-round pick key in Cyclones win
No. 2 prospect Brett Baty went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a run scored on Sunday as Class A Short-Season Brooklyn opened its New York-Penn League championship series with a 2-1 win over Lowell. Major League Baseball’s No. 81 prospect was responsible for two of Brooklyn’s five hits in a well-pitched game on both sides. In his first professional season, the 2019 first-round Draft pick hit .234 with seven home runs and an .821 OPS over 51 games split between three Minor League levels. Brooklyn’s starter, Garrison Bryant, tossed six shutout innings with just one hit allowed, three walks and a strikeout to earn the win. Brooklyn now has a chance to clinch the championship with Game 2 scheduled for Monday at home. Game 3, if necessary, would be back in Lowell on Tuesday. Sunday's prospect stats »
Friday, Sept. 6: Brooklyn advances to finals
The Class A Short-Season Brooklyn Cyclones advanced to the New York-Penn League championship series thanks to a walk-off win in Game 3 of their series against the Rays' Hudson Valley Renegades. Ranfy Adon, a 22-year-old outfielder signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2014, drove in his second run of the game in the bottom of the ninth to earn the Cyclones a trip to the final. Pitchers Nick MacDonald and Andrew Edwards combined to toss four scoreless innings with nine strikeouts to keep Brooklyn in the game and give the Cyclones a chance to win it in the ninth. In the finals, they’ll face Red Sox affiliate Lowell, which also clinched its series via a walk-off. Friday's prospect stats »
Thursday, Sept. 5: Allan helps lead Brooklyn to win
Four Class A Short-Season Brooklyn hurlers, including 2019 third-rounder Matthew Allan, combined to throw a one-hit shutout on Thursday as the Cyclones blanked Hudson Valley, 1-0, to force a decisive third game in the New York-Penn League semifinals. Allan, the Mets’ No. 4 prospect, was first out of the bullpen and delivered two perfect frames on 15 pitches (10 strikes) to earn the win. The 18-year-old right-hander made one start for Brooklyn (2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 K) during the regular season after receiving a promotion from the Gulf Coast League, where he was scored upon just once in five outings.
Jed Lowrie, on a rehab assignment with Brooklyn -- the lone Mets’ affiliate in the MiLB postseason -- drove in the Cyclones’ only run with a fourth-inning solo shot. Thursday's prospect stats »
Wednesday, Sept. 4: Cyclones drop Game 1
The Class A Short-Season Brooklyn Cyclones dropped the first game of the New-York Penn League semifinals, 5-4, to Hudson Valley (Rays). The Cyclones were on the road for Game 1, but they will host each of the next two games (if necessary) in the best-of-three series. Wednesday's prospect stats »