It ain’t over until it’s over, and the Cyclones season doesn’t officially end until we give out the most coveted awards in amateur sports — the Clonies, given each year to the boys of summer who have gone above and beyond the call of duty (insert cheers here) So, without further ado, here’s a breakdown of the winners for the 2013 Brooklyn Cyclones’ season, the teams 13th consecutive above-.500 season, and 12th consecutive without a championship.
The King Henry King of Run Production Award
And the Clonie goes to Jared King. King was a run-producing machine and could be counted on to provide at least one of the Brooklyn runs each night, either through his own foot touching the home bag or hitting someone else home. King led the team with 32 runs scored and finished fifth with 21 RBIs. He regularly put himself in scoring position straight from home plate by leading the Cyclones with 15 doubles on the season. If the Clones needed a run — and they usually did — Jared was the King.
The NYPD Stolen Base Award
And the Clonie goes Patrick “To infinity and” Biondi. Biondi entered the season being highly touted for his speed and the ability to steal bases. He did not disappoint (at least until he injured his hand with about three weeks to play and missed the rest of the season) and manager Rich Donnelly said Biondi “is the fastest guy in this league.” Biondi led the team and finished tied for fourth in the league with 17 stolen bases. The next closest Cyclone player was James “Papa” Roche, who had a measly eight.
The Cory Vaughn Memorial Most Powerful Bat Award
And the Clonie goes to James “Papa” Roche. The Clones did not hit a lot of home runs this season — only 25 to be exact, which was good for 12th in a 14-team league — but Roche hit five of them, including the first of the season at Staten Island in the opener and a couple homers in back-to-back games near the end of the year. The argument could be made for Alex Sanchez, who hit four dingers on the year, including the team’s only grand slam, but Roche also had a team-leading two triples and second-place 14 doubles, making Papa the king of the castle that is MCU Park.
The Coney Island Hospital Most Healed Player Award
And the Clonie goes to Gavin Cecchini. When Cecchini returned from his sprained ankle in early July, it was as if a new player stepped into the shortstop position. The 19-year-old former first-round draft pick put on a show for Cyclones fans, recording a hit in 16 straight games starting in July and ending in August. He came up just one game shy of the all-time Cyclones record set by the legendary Lucas Duda. The hit streak eventually ended, but Cecchini’s production did not, scoring a total of 18 runs for the team on the season, while knocking in 14 runs and batting .273 on the season.
The Best Starting Pitcher Award
And the Clonie goes to Miller Diaz. We know what you are thinking, John Gant: “How did Diaz squeak out this one over me?” Well, look at the numbers and you’ll figure it out. The two starters both pitched in 13 games and each had a decision in 10 of them. Diaz went 7–3, while Gant went 6–4. But Diaz had an ERA of 2.03, while Gant finished with 2.89 — a pretty considerable disparity when considering what’s at stake.
The final shove in Diaz’s direction was the strikeouts. While Gant finished second in the league, with an outstanding 81 strikeouts, Diaz finished first, with a whopping 87. Despite the award going to Diaz, any team would be happy to have either of these two hurlers on the mound. Maybe even the Mets.
The Rolaids Best Relief Pitcher Awards
And the Clonie goes to Akeel “The Cat” Morris. Morris could have been the face of consistency this season. The reliever finished the year with a team-best ERA of just 1.00, which was also good for fourth in the league. Morris struck out 60 batters, while allowing only seven runs all season. He is, far and away, the frontrunner for this award.
The Best Nickname that References a Pet Food Commercial from the 1970s
And the Clonie goes to Akeel “The Cat” Morris. Any nickname that references a pet food commercial from the 1970s wins. He easily beats out Patrick “To Infinity and” Biondi” which is awesome, but sounds just a bit too Chris Berman-esque, which didn’t impress our finicky judges.
The I Don’t Have a Position Most Versatile Fielder Award
And the Clonie goes to Ismael Tijerina. Call him Ismael! Tijerina played three of the four infielder positions regularly throughout the season. The native of Mexico had just four errors for a fielding percentage of .960. Not too shabby considering T.J never had a defined position on the team — he could be counted on to fill any hole whenever necessary. If that doesn’t translate to a middling career in the majors, we don’t know what does.
2013 Community Newspaper Group Most Valuable Player
And the Clonie goes to L.J. “Mini-Maz” Mazzilli. The son of former New York Met Lee Mazzilli entered the season with a lot of hype (from us) and even more expectations and he managed to meet or exceed every one of them. The team’s lone position player who made the All-Star team, Mazzilli was in the top five or 10 in the league in many categories. The second baseman was the team’s most consistent hitter, which his father promised us he would be, by hitting .278 on 76 hits and 34 RBIs. He also added four homers, three coming in the final month, showing he could perform under pressure. If the Mets need a second baseman, he’s the man.
The Scott Kazmir Memorial “Sure Bet to Make the Bigs” Award
And the Clonie goes to Mazzilli. We just suggested the Mets move him to the bigs before he gets too old. Do it now.
The Steve Cohen Memorial “Best General Manager” Award
And the Clonie goes to Amy Venuto, the general manager of the McNamara Division-champion Aberdeen IronBirds. Venuto’s steady hand was the guiding force behind the Maryland team’s rise to the top of the division, and she deserves to be cheered. That, along with the fact that Cohen allowed artificial grass to replace the real stuff in MCU Park finally wrenched the award from its namesake.
