Know Your Cyclones: Daison Acosta
When Daison Acosta takes the mound as the Brooklyn Cyclones’ Opening Day starter tonight, he’ll be one of many points of attention at MCU Park, where the whoosh of roller coasters and the saltwater sea breeze add to the ambiance of a unique baseball environment.
But, for the thousands of fans excited to witness the start of another season on Coney Island, they ought to take a good look at the 20-year-old right-hander.
He may be penciled in as the Cyclones’ first starting pitcher of 2019, but there’s no guarantee Daison Acosta will be around long enough to be their last.
Brooklyn’s coaches view Acosta as a possible quick-mover through the Mets’ farm system, someone with the ability to earn both the nod against the Staten Island Yankees at 7 o’clock tonight and a promotion to a higher minor-league level this summer.
“It’s all because of his talent. He can dominate hitters. He’s himself on the mound,” third-year Cyclones manager Edgardo Alfonzo said. “Arms like his, you don’t find them very often.”
Born in a small coastal town called Paraíso in the southwest region of the Dominican Republic, Acosta has been in the Mets organization since the age of 17. The fourth-year pro spent last summer at the Advanced-Rookie level with the Kingsport Mets, where he held opponents to a .236 batting average and struck out 46 hitters in 42.1 innings.
While there, Acosta built a strong relationship with Josue Matos, who will serve as Brooklyn’s pitching coach this season after two years in the same role with the K-Mets.
“Coach Matos is one of the best pitching coaches that I’ve had,” Acosta said through a translator. “I’m excited to work with him once again. He worked with me a lot in Kingsport on improving day by day, and I’m looking forward to doing the same this year.”
Acosta features a three-pitch repertoire: a mid-90s fastball with sinking movement, an advanced changeup, and a breaking ball. But throughout the spring at the Mets’ complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla., he worked with Matos on all the other components of pitching.
“He’s holding runners better than last year. His command is a lot better than last year. His process of how he prepares for his outings is a lot better,” Matos, who pitched for Puerto Rico in two World Baseball Classics, said. “He’s more intense, more focused. He’s the type of guy you want to give the ball to every single day.”
That added focus will benefit Acosta tonight as he makes his first start among the cacophony of sights and sounds at MCU Park. His manager, a former All-Star across town with the Mets, knows there may be some pre-game jitters to accompany that.
“I told the guys yesterday, ‘If you don’t feel nervous, you’re not a human being.’ Because every time you open a season, you should still feel those butterflies,” Alfonzo said. “Acosta has got great velocity, great command, and we’ll see how he does this evening.”
Tonight will mark a few firsts for Acosta: his first Opening Day start of his professional career, his first start above the Rookie level, and his first start in front of the Brooklyn faithful.
But the 20-year-old insists he’ll treat this outing like the 19 others he’s made during his career.
“I’ve never pitched in an environment quite like this,” Acosta said. “But baseball is baseball, and I’m excited to be on the mound on Opening Day. I’m just going to focus on the plate, throw strike one, and attack hitters.”
— Dom
Tonight’s Game: Brooklyn vs. Staten Island, 7 p.m.
MCU Park, Brooklyn, NY
RHP Daison Acosta (0–0, -. — ) vs. TBA
Audio: BrooklynCyclones.com/listen
Tickets: BrooklynCyclones.com/tickets
