The Brooklyn Cyclones always give Mets fans a sneak peek at the team’s future. This year, the Cyclones boast one of the brightest lights in the Mets farm system.
Brandon Nimmo, the Mets’ first-round draft pick last year, will be in center field when short-season Class-A Brooklyn opens its season at 7 p.m. Monday against the Staten Island Yankees at MCU Park in Brooklyn.
Nimmo, the 13th overall selection in 2011, is one of the Mets’ most promising kids. The Wyoming native got a $2.1 million signing bonus last August. Cyclones manager Rich Donnelly believes Nimmo will become a five-tool player within a few years. “He’s a tremendous athlete and an A-plus character kid,” Donnelly said.
Nimmo got his first taste of pro ball after signing with the Mets last August, getting in a combined 10 games at the Rookie level (seven games with the Gulf Coast Mets and three with Kingsport). He hit a combined .211 (8-for-38) with two homers in that brief audition. Like many of his Cyclones teammates, Nimmo has spent the last two months in extended spring training in Port St. Lucie. Three of the Mets’ last four first-round picks were drafted right out of high school.
“They’re taking young talent that is the best talent in high school in hopes that they star in two to three years,” said Donnelly, entering his second season as the Cyclones’ skipper. “We have some young kids, but they’re very talented. They’ll adapt.”
Righthander Gabriel Ynoa, 19, will pitch the opener. Ynoa, who signed with the Mets as a minor-league free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, went 2-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 12 games in Rookie ball last year.
Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy and Dillon Gee are among the seven current Mets who played for the Cyclones.
“I talked to a few guys and they said it’s a great place to play,” said catcher Kevin Plawecki, a 2012 first-round pick who took batting practice at Citi Field on Friday. “It’s the closest thing to playing (at Citi Field) so I’m really excited about the opportunity.”
