Closing the Book on 2018

Yesterday was the very last Staten Island Yankees home game of the season, obviously I went.

I still had a lot of the Brooklyn Cyclones set to get signed so I decided to go with them for most of this game. Starting with Mac Lozer.
Lozer was drafted by the New York Mets in the 33rd round of the 2017 MLB Player Draft. He's a righty reliever with a high-80's fastball, a slider and a changeup. Lozer capped off his collegiate career with a nice year in relief and the Mets are hoping that will continue as Lozer turns pro. He also used to be an intern for the Indianapolis Colts.

Next was Yeudy Colon.
Yeudy Colon was signed by the New York Mets as a non-drafted free agent back in 2015. Colon had himself a nice little year in the NYPL and earned All Star Game honors in the process. I can't find a whole lot about Colon's scouting repertoire but I have been able to find out that he's due to be Rule 5 eligible soon. Wonder if a team claims him in the minor league portion of the draft.

Here's Brian Sharp.
Sharp was drafted by the New York Mets in the 26th round of the 2018 MLB Player Draft. During his collegiate days Sharp was a two way player ala-Shohei Ohtani. He had a high-80's fastball, a changeup and a slider, but the Mets see him more as a position player. He's versatile enough to field most positions but the Mets see the best use of his lack of speed in the corner infield positions.

Next up is Billy Oxford.
Oxford was drafted by the New York Mets in the 27th round of the 2017 MLB Player Draft. He has a low 90s fastball, a curveball, a slider and a changeup. How those develops will determine how he fares in relief going forward.

After him is Ryley Gilliam.
Gilliam was drafted by the New York Mets in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Player Draft. He has a low-90's fastball that has been able to hit 96 mph at times, a curveball, changeup and a cutter. He converted to relief in college and he's been used as a reliever thus far into his professional career as well.

Here's backstop Kevin Hall.
Hall was signed by the New York Mets as a non-drafted free agent back in 2016. Can't find a whole lot about him online. Sounds like most have him written off as a warm body for the lower levels who'll get released in about a year or two.

Next up is Tylor Megill.
Megill was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 2018 MLB Player Draft. The brother of Padres prospect Trevor Megill, Tylor was a starter and reliever in college and has been both since turning pro as well. Megill has a low 90's fastball that can touch 95 mph, and a curveball. I'm guessing that now that he's a starter he's adding one more pitch to his arsenal.

Here's lefty pitcher Josh Walker.
Walker was drafted by the New York Mets in the 37th round of the 2017 MLB Player Draft. He's armed with a low 90's fastball and grew up being a fan of the Yankees (even wore Paul O'Neill's jersey number back in high school).

Next up is Chase Chambers.
Chambers was drafted by the New York Mets in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB Player Draft. Chambers has a ton of power and was able to turn that into one of the best careers in Tennessee Tech history. Since turning pro he's managed to maintain some hitting prowess though in spite of moving from a hitter friendly NCAA league to a pitcher friendly NYPL. He has a strong arm and could be a weapon at third but his glove leaves a lot to be desired whenever he's not at first.

Here's Walter Rasquin.
Rasquin was signed by the New York Mets as a non-drafted international free agent back in 2013. Rasquin was one of the Cyclones' best hitters in 2017 and was expected to do a lot of great things at the next level. He spent some time with the single-A Columbia Fireflies before being suspended for using methamphetamines. He made his return to pro ball with the Cyclones where he put up another good season. He can hit for contact and has speed.

To make sure the season wouldn't go off on such a Mets centered note, my last autograph was of Jesus Bastidas. On the jumbo sized card there (the smaller one is to show how much bigger it is compared to the standard one).
Bastidas' 2018 was mixed but I consider him my favorite sleeper prospect out of the position players who suited up for Staten Island this year. If I had to pick three I'd go with Josh Breaux-Jesus Bastidas-Kyle Gray. Lots of other deserving names were in the mix too but I like what the three of them have to offer going forward. Bastidas and Gray especially were pretty good with the glove. If their bats ever come around, watch out.

So how was the last home game for the 2018 Staten Island Yankees?

Yeah, they lost 4-5 to the Brooklyn Cyclones. Sucks. But it was nice to be able to make it out to the stadium. Frank German was super solid but the Yankees offense wasn't able to back up the pitching until later in the game. It happens.

At some point I just decided to just chill by the bullpens and take videos of the Yankees relievers warming up from my favorite angle ever. The sun made shadows and glare difficult but overall I think I got some nice footage.
I hope a lot of these guys continue to climb the ladder upwards next season (and beyond). They were a hoot to root for and more importantly eavesdrop on.

So yeah, thanks for a fun season Staten Island. Looking forward to what kind of fun you'll bring next year!

As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).

2018 IP Auto Count: 81