Mets' High-A affiliate overcomes upheaval to win South Atlantic League title
This browser does not support the video element.
The Brooklyn Cyclones' 2025 season was a tale of two halves.
No team in the South Atlantic League was more dominant in the first half of the season than the Mets' High-A affiliate. After a string of promotions and roster changes, the Cyclones had their fair share of struggles later on.
But in the end, Brooklyn showcased the potential again by claiming its first South Atlantic League championship with a 2-1 win over Hub City on Tuesday at Fifth Third Park to cap a perfect 4-0 postseason run.
"They're committed to playing the game hard and to be prepared," Cyclones manager Gilbert Gómez said. "We found a way to win multiple ways throughout the season.
"The first half was just dominant. Dominant offense, dominant players. We oozed confidence, and then the second half was a team of adversity and adjustment. We had to make adjustments. We didn't play the brand of baseball that we know that we're capable of playing, but resiliency is the name of the second-half team. That's what we showed throughout these four games."
The Cyclones ended the first half with a 46-20 record, best on the circuit, with the most runs scored (365) and the second-fewest runs allowed (240). Led by sluggers Carson Benge (NYM No. 1/MLB No. 20), Jacob Reimer (NYM No. 6) and Jesus Baez (STL No. 7), the team was an astonishing 26-7 at home and did not lose a single series.
As happens with talented Minor League teams, the Cyclones had to regroup after a series of promotions and trades. Losing many of their top bats and several key arms, Brooklyn went just 26-39 in the second half as its offense fell by nearly two runs per game.
Still, Gómez and the Cyclones value this important part of the Minor League cycle. With a few key holdovers, including catcher Ronald Hernandez, infielder Boston Baro (NYM No. 21) and outfielder Eli Serrano III (NYM No. 12), and some reinforcements, they crafted a new identity.
"That's what we want," Gómez said. "We want guys to move up. We want a new team every week if that's the deal. But I feel like the toughest thing is to make them believe that they can play the game at the level that they played throughout the playoffs. We were obviously not the team of the first half, but they didn't need to be that team. They had a chance to write their own chapter in history, and that's what they did."
A high-scoring team in the first half, the Cyclones swept through the postseason by holding their opponents to six total runs across four games, culminating in the 2-1 title-winner. Southpaw Franklin Gomez got things started with four scoreless innings and five relievers followed, with Hoss Brewer's perfect ninth capping the run.
This browser does not support the video element.
The Cyclones had previously won championships as part of the New York-Penn League in 2001 and '19, but Gómez is proud of this particular team's preparation, focus and commitment to winning in the franchise's first Sally League crown.