by The Brooklyn Cyclones will begin their 2025 campaign at 6:40 p.m. on Friday, April 4, at Maimonides Park. Gilbert Gómez, who managed the team in 2024, returns. He is the first returning manager for the Cyclones since Edgardo Alfonzo, who managed the ‘Clones from 2017 to 2019.
Eduardo Núñez, who served as Brooklyn’s hitting coach last season, returns as the club’s bench coach. Jordan Kraus moves up from Single-A St. Lucie to be the team’s pitching coach, and Bryan Muniz comes over from the Houston Astros organization to be the team’s hitting coach.
Brooklyn’s Opening Day roster is highlighted by three of the Mets’ top four picks in the 2024 MLB Draft and seven of the organization’s top 30 prospects on the MLB Pipeline.
Carson Benge, the No. 19 overall pick in 2024, made his professional baseball debut with St. Lucie in August and played well, hitting .273/.420/.436/.856 with two homers, three doubles, 14 strikeouts and 11 walks in 69 plate appearances. The second high draft pick out of Oklahoma State for the Mets in as many years, Benge was also a two-way player for the Cowboys like 2023 third-round pick Nolan McLean. While McLean’s future is on the mound, Benge’s is at the plate.
A well-rounded outfielder, Benge hit .335/.444/.665/1.109 with 18 home runs and 44 extra-base hits in 61 games. He also had a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings, mostly out of the bullpen, but again, the Mets will develop him as a hitter only. Pipeline gives him a 50 grade or better on all five tools and describes him as someone who had some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the draft class, and who also has the potential to provide 20-home run power.
No. 46 overall pick Jonathan Santucci will also begin the year in Brooklyn, and his first start will be his professional baseball debut. A left-handed starting pitcher out of Duke, Santucci has a power fastball, plus a slider, and spotty control. A college arm who is already 22, Santucci could follow the same path as Brandon Sproat did last season. If he pitches well, the Mets could push him to Double-A and maybe even Triple-A more aggressively than they might push a high school pitcher.
Fourth-round outfielder Eli Serrano III will join Benge in the outfield after also making his professional debut in St. Lucie towards the end of last season. He had more strikeouts and fewer walks than Benge but also had seven extra-base hits in 72 plate appearances. He didn’t hit for a ton of power at NC State, but at 6-foot-5, there is some hope he could add some more power to his frame.
Notables returning to the Cyclones include infielder Jacob Reimer, infielder and Spring Breakout star Boston Baro, catcher/first baseman/outfielder Chris Suero, and pitchers Ryan Ammons, Noah Hall, Ryan Lambert, and Austin Troesser. Catcher Ronald Hernandez, who was acquired in the David Robertson trade, will also be moving up to Brooklyn for the first time.
The Cyclones will be home through April 13. For promotion and ticket information, visit https://www.milb.com/brooklyn
