Cyclones’ Duplantis celebrates brother’s Olympic gold
Returning to the Brooklyn Cyclones, now a High-A affiliate of the New York Mets, is second-season outfielder Antoine Duplantis. The 24-year-old from Lafayette, La., was drafted out of LSU in 2019 as the college’s all-time hits leader, batting .324 with 359 hits over four seasons. As a member of the 2019 Cyclones Short Season A team, he was the hero of the New York Penn League playoff final that gave Brooklyn its first championship since 2001.
“I just dropped the bat head on the ball on an inside pitch and pulled it down the right field line,” said Duplantis, describing his RBI triple that scored teammate Jake Mangum from first base to tie the game 3-3 in the seventh inning against the Lowell Spinners. Duplantis would then score on a single for the Cyclones’ eventual 4-3 championship win.
Now as this season’s leadoff hitter, batting .267 with five home runs, Duplantis is the team’s leader with 48 runs scored and has been a part of the Cyclones’ second-half offensive resurgence. Making good contact at the top of the order, he had a career game, going 4-for-5 in an 11-4 win over the Wilmington Blue Rocks at Maimonides Park.