The 2014 Brooklyn Cyclones

@BKCyclones: Coney Island, Baseball And Fireworks http://t.co/7heuWUoipp pic.twitter.com/UUZ3X0417O
— Quirky Cesar (@QuirkyCesar) June 18, 2014

Taking a look at the next wave of Mets prospects that will be taking over Brooklyn this summer. What a great tweet by @QuirkyCesar!

            The Brooklyn Cyclones season started this past weekend and they are off to a fast start. For a look at the opening day roster, check out Toby Hyde’s initial roster breakdown. Their season started with a series against the rival Staten Island Yankees, playing two games at home and two at Richmond County Bank Ballpark – a double-header. The SI Yankees offer some MiLB.tv coverage, although it is very limited – there is no audio (although radio coverage is available) and the camera only shows the batter. Hopefully the Aberdeen Ironbirds will offer better coverage, as the Cyclones play there this weekend.

Gif: Tucker Tharp swinging.

He walked in his first PA, but did nothing else of note during the double-header. He was the Mets 30^th round draft-pick in this past draft out of the University of Kansas. Check out his school page here and what Alex Nelson had to say about him here.

Gif: Amed Rosario had three singles and a triple in 9 AB during the double-header.

The Mets signed Rosario for $1.75M in 2012 and he was named the top prospect out of the Appalachian league last season – fans should be getting very excited for this guy. He was rewarded for his work in extended spring training by being sent to Savannah for a few weeks before the Cyclones season started.

Gif: Tyler Moore strikes out swinging and singles to CF.

He played in the first game only. He was the Mets 6^th round pick from this past draft out of LSU. Check out the Alex Nelson report here.

Gif: Tomas Nido strikes out swinging.

He caught the first game and went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. The Mets 8^th round pick from the 2012 draft out of Orangewood Christian HS in Florida has struggled to produce offensively so far, which was supposed to be his calling card. This will be his second season with Brooklyn.

Gif: Jhoan Urena swinging and reaches on an infield single.

He went 1-5 with 2 walks during the double-header. The Mets signed Urena for $425K in 2011 and this is the first chance for the switch-hitting 3B to play above the rookie-ball level. He showed a strong, contact oriented approach with some speed the past two seasons for the DSL Mets (in 2012) and GCL Mets (in 2013).

Gif: Michael Bernal strikes out swinging, singles to CF and drives in Katz with an RBI-2B to left-center field (bounced just shy of the warning track).

He does not get cheated on his swings. He went 2-6 with a walk and four strikeouts during the double-header. Couldn’t find out much about him on the internet, but that will change if he merits it.

Gif: Michael Katz swinging and hitting two doubles.

He went 2-5 with 2 walks during the double-header. The Mets drafted Katz in the 9^th round of this past draft out of the College of William and Mary. Check out the Alex Nelson report here. From Baseball America – “He does it with strength and power, with a 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame that helps him drive the ball consistently. He generates his power with a strength-oriented swing… While several area scouts aren’t convinced Katz will make enough contact against pro velocity to get to his power, he has polished his offensive approach and is aggressive when he gets a fastball to hit. He’s likely limited to first base as a pro by his below-average speed and arm strength.”

Gif: Joe Tuschak pops out and singles.

He went 1-6 with a walk and 3 strikeouts during the double-header. The Mets drafted the lefty OF in the 6^th round of the 2011 draft out of Northern HS in Pennsylvania. Tuschak had his most successful season as a pro in 2013 for Kingsport, though his apparent change in approach led to a below average walk rate, which was previously his biggest strength – 4.4% BB-rate in 2013 after a 12.7% BB-rate in 2011-12. He also had his best K% (21.9%) and most power (.105 ISO) as a pro. While these numbers are not great, they were an improvement, and he is off to a quick start in week one with Brooklyn.

Gif: Anthony Chavez strikes out swinging.

He went 0-3 with a walk in game one and was a defensive replacement at 2B in game two. This will be the second season in Brooklyn for the utility infielder, and has a very unimpressive minor league resume to date.

Gif: Jeff Diehl flies out.

He went 0-3 with a strikeout as the DH in game two. The Mets took Diehl in the 23^rd round of the 2011 draft and this is his first chance above Kingsport. He could be interesting if he didn’t strike out more than a quarter of the time.

Gif: Adrian Abreu swinging.

He went 0-3 with two strikeouts in game two. Not sure how his defense plays behind the plate, but he has had a great approach at the plate early in his pro career – he has more walks than strikeouts so far. On the other hand, he’s a 23 year old getting his first taste above rookie-ball who didn’t exactly blow away the rookie-ball leagues.

Gif: Dimas Ponce pops out.

He went 0-2 before being replaced by Chavez in game two. He has bounced between rookie ball and St. Lucie since 2011, not really hitting at any of the stops.

Mountaintop Blows Up to Make Way for Giant Telescope http://t.co/ongtC0GoXU by @Free_Space pic.twitter.com/NoAf0i0akS
— Discovery Space (@Discovery_Space) June 19, 2014