Multiple Cyclones to play in NYPL All-Star Game

The New York-Penn League All-Star Game will be flush with familiar faces. Five Brooklyn Cyclones cracked the roster for the Blue Team, which will be coached by Edgardo Alfonzo and the rest of the Cyclones staff. Three pitchers and two position players made the cut from the Mets system for the exhibition next Wednesday on Staten Island. It’s not a group rich in prospect intrigue, but most have been solid contributors for Brooklyn this year.

1B Joe Genord - 50 G, 191 PA, .201/.272/.402, 6.3%/27.7% K/BB%, 34 H, 16 2B, 8 HR, 2/2 SB

The most notable prospect in the bunch is 2019 9th rounder Genord. One of the senior signs to help make Bretty Baty and Matthew Allan possible, Genord has shown the pop that made him a bit more intriguing than the average bear. Worryingly, one day shy of his 23rd birthday, Genord has been a factory pumping out pop-ups and whiffs through his first fifty pro games. Still, he’s tied for third in the NYPL in HRs and fifth in Isolated Power, so a bit more contact - especially contact that doesn’t go straight up - could help him draw a little shine.

INF Wilmer Reyes - 45 G, 180 PA, .333/.356/.450, 2.8%/16.7% K/BB%, 57 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 10/12 SB

Someone appears to have told the 21 year old Wilmer Reyes that every walk taken is a missed opportunity for a single, because he has avoided free passes like the plague. His five unintentional walks in 180 PAs have helped him to the lowest walk rate in the NYPL, and the ninth-lowest qualified rate in the minors at any level. Despite that, Reyes has been the engine of the Cyclones offense along with his usual middle infield partner Luke Ritter. Reyes has used his speed to help him run a .381 BABIP, pounding groundballs over half the time and spraying liners as well.

RHP Garrison Bryant - 11 G (9 GS) 59.0 IP, 2.59 ERA, 23.8%/5.6% K/BB%, 38 H, 3 HR

Despite a brutal lone moonlighting appearance in Low-A Columbia to start to his season, the 20 year old Bryant has had a solid third full season. He’s gone 5.0+ innings in each of his last nine appearances and a 21|2 K|BB in his last five outings. He’s still big, around 6’4, and has the frame to suggest velocity and durability might come more easily, but until the heat ticks up it’ll be tough to trust entirely. Still, this deserving selection is encouraging for the late round 2016 draftee who was a project that is progressing positively.

RHP Matt Cleveland - 11 G (11 GS), 54.2 IP, 3.46 ERA, 13.3%/10.2% K/BB%, 41 H, 2 HR

Cleveland’s numbers look straight out of 1952, but it’s worked alright so far for the 21 year old righty. His size (6’5) and downward plane help him get grounders at a decent clip with a low-90s fastball, but a lack of control or secondaries make it hard for him to put guys away. Thus far hitters have struggled to punish Cleveland for his wildness, and he’s gotten weak contact and popups galore to escape damage. An improved secondary arsenal is still sorely needed for the Windsor, CT product, but his knack for dodging barrels has kept him afloat so far.

RHP Mitch Ragan - 11 G (3 GS), 26.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 21.4%/1.9% K-BB%, 19 H, 0 HR

Ragan joins Genord as the other 2019 draftee earning an All-Star nod. He’s been the best version of his college self, coming straight from Creighton to continue pounding the strike zone and getting great results. The 15th rounder has been brought along at a moderate pace considering his college workload but has worked between two to four innings in all but two of his outings. He’s been largely a two-pitch guy which likely translates to the bullpen eventually, but with low-90s heat and a more 12-6 curve that can miss bats, the 22 year old should get a chance to give his stuff a go at least a couple levels more. In addition to running a microscopic walk rate, Ragan has managed to avoid allowing a single home run. That probably won’t last, but like Cleveland he’s had a knack for pop-ups early in his pro career, and it’d be great to see that poor contact continue.

The Blue and Red NYPL All-Star teams will play at 7 PM on Wednesday, August 21.