Cyclones celebrate Mets’ classic catch
“I think it’s a good thing that they give Endy Chavez a night to honor him with his own bobblehead,” said Brooklyn Cyclones Manager Edgardo Alfonzo about his fellow Venezuelan coach who made one of baseball’s greatest catches at Shea Stadium’s left field wall to rob Scott Rolon of a home run in the Mets’ 2016 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. “Having something like this shows our players that they have coaches instructing them who know how to play the game in the major leagues.”
Over the years, the Cyclones have had some outstanding outfielders like Jonathan Slack, who gained recognition during the 2003 season for making a number of “Willie Mays” over-the-shoulder catches in centerfield. In 2014, first round draft pick Michael Conforto showed appreciative Cyclones fans how left field should be played with “shoestring catches” and “warning track grabs.”
Currently, the Cyclones rely on elite defensive centerfielder Jake Mangum, their fourth round draft pick from Mississippi State, to flag down the balls hit to the deepest parts of MCU Park.