He’s the latest and greatest Ed!
Former Mets all-star Edgardo Alfonzo will step up to the plate in Coney Island this summer as the Cyclones’ new manager — following in the footsteps of brother Edgar Alfonzo, who helmed the team in 2001 and again in 2007 and ’08.
Edgar led the team to its first and only New York–Penn League championship and has more wins than any other manager in franchise history. But Edgardo is easily the better baseball player — he did eight years with the Mets and still ranks among the all-time franchise leaders in home runs, runs batted in, batting average, runs scored, and hits. He was named a National League All-Star in 2000, hitting .324 with 25 home runs as the Mets reached the World Series for the first time since 1986. He also spent time with the Giants, Angels, and Blue Jays.
Edgardo has been assistant coach for the Clones for the last three seasons and is taking over for legend Tom Gamboa.
He will be the 11th manager in franchise history.
His nephew Edgar Alfonzo Jr. pitched for the Clones in 2004 and 2005.
Alfonzo’s promotion to manager isn’t the only change to the Clones’ coaching staff ahead of the 2017 season.
Former big-league reliever Royce Ring was named pitching coach — the same position he held with the Kingsport Mets last season. The five-year pro played for the Amazins in 2005 and 2006.
Hitting coach Sean Ratliff and athletic trainer Giovanni D’Onza round out the staff in Brooklyn.
The Cyclones open the 2017 home schedule on June 20 against the evil empire of the New York–Penn League, the Staten Island Yankees.
