‘Dominant’ Duo: Baty & Allan to Brooklyn in 2021
Matthew Allan pulled no punches Thursday, greeting the New York media with one word to describe how he feels entering his first full season:
“Dominant.”
The young pitcher and third baseman Brett Baty, prospects that rank third and fourth in the Mets organization according to MLB Pipeline, headlined the Brooklyn Cyclones first press conference of the 2021 season via Zoom, joining manager Ed Blankmeyer.
The two titans of the Mets 2019 draft class hoisted the New York-Penn League trophy the last time the Cyclones took the field, but merely as the cherry on top of an already championship-laden team. The baby faces — and baby fat — have melted away and are beginning to form the foundation for the first full season for both prospects.
Allan, who turned 20 years old on April 17, has faced million-dollar-Mets in both Spring Training and Brooklyn’s Alternate Training Site since 2020. After nearly 18 months of tussling with the top-of-the-heap competition in-house, the youngest guy in the room feels like can go shoulder-to-shoulder with the veterans.
“[Going from] facing some of the big-leaguers and 40-man guys and just generally older guys to facing my level of High-A guys, Double-A guys I think I honestly just feel pretty dominant,” Allan said.
Allan’s 96 mph fastball joined forced with a hammer curveball and the latest weapon: a change-up. Not to mention his relationship with Jacob deGrom, who took the mature Allan under his wing in Spring Training.
Baty, his minor league Spring Training roommate, and 2021 Brooklyn third baseman, concurs.
“I’ve faced him plenty of times,” Baty said. “And I can tell you his stuff plays.”
And play they will, setting up for 120 games at High-A.
Baty has his work load cut out for him, leaping over the natural progression that would put him with the St. Lucie Mets at Low-A. But 120 games is 120 games no matter where the Texan can find them.
“I saw a pretty high level of pitching in big league camp,” the 2019 first-round pick said. “but definitely the constant High-A level of pitching is going to be tough.”
The slugger mashed seven homers in 51 games over three teams in 2019, demonstrating a keen eye with his power. Baty hit just .234 but walked his way to a .368 OBP. Now, over a full season, he’ll have to match performance with stamina, a difficult story for position players heading into their first full season.
“Some of these guys have been out for over a year and a half,” Blankmeyer said. “You just don’t run these guys into the ground. This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
The Cyclones skipper, hired to lead in 2019 in Short Season Class A now heads a High-A club equipped with flat out talent. Brooklyn begins the season May 4 at Asheville, setting up for a season of six-games series running Tuesday through Sunday with a scheduled Monday off day to begin each week.
The former St. John’s head baseball coach told the Amazin’ Starts Here Podcast earlier this year that he felt like “the Wanderer” from the famed Dion and the Belmont’s tune awaiting minor league Spring Training. Now, the first-year Cyclones manager stands moments away from Opening Day.
“There’s a lot of excitement, there will be a lot of buzz,” Blankmeyer said. “I know in Brooklyn they’ll pack the house that’s for sure.”
With a dominant duo in Coney Island this summer, there’s no doubt about that.
