First Half Record: 46-20 (1/6, South Atlantic League North Division)
Second Half Record: 26-39 (5/6, South Atlantic League North Division)
When the 2025 season began, the Brooklyn Cyclones were a prospect-studded team. Carson Benge (3), Jonathan Santucci (11), Boston Baro (13), Eli Serrano (17), Jacob Reimer (21), Ronald Hernandez (24) were all assigned to Coney Island to start the year, as was Chris Suero, who just missed the 2025 top prospect list.
Pitching, as has been the case in virtually all of
franchise history, was strong, but Brooklyn’s hitters also looked good, something that has largely not been the case over the 25 years that the team has existed. When everything clicked, everything clicked, and Brooklyn ended the first half with a 46-20 record, the best record of any non-Triple-A (who play a longer schedule) minor league team in the first half.
The second half of the High-A season began on June 18, and things took a turn for the worst for the Cyclones. While there were a handful of promotions from Low-A St. Lucie up to Brooklyn, the players who they gained did not make up for the amount of talent that they lost via promotions and trades. Brooklyn ended the second half below .500, one of two organizational losing halves this season. For as bad as they were in the second half, God bless the Wilmington Blue Rocks, perennial losers who ended the second half with record worse than the Cyclones.
Despite the poor second half, Brooklyn clinched a playoff berth thanks to their first half record and met the Greensboro Grasshoppers in the South Atlantic League Division Series. The Cyclones scored four runs in each game, but their starting pitching and bullpen came through, sweeping the best-of-three series 4-3 in Game One and 4-1 in Game Two. For the first time since 2019, and for the first time since moving to the South Atlantic League, the Brooklyn Cyclones were in the finals.
Brooklyn absolutely demolished Hub City in Game One, winning 13-1. Game Two was a much closer affair, but the good guys came out on top 2-1. Brooklyn once again swept the best-of-three series and for the first time ever were crowned South Atlantic League champions. The championship was Brooklyn’s third in franchise history (2001, 2019, 2025).
TEAM MVP
Carson Benge: 60 G, 225 AB, .302/.417/.480, 68 H, 18 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 41 BB, 50 K, 15/17 SB, .372 BABIP
(Runner Up: A.J. Ewing)
Coming into the 2025 season, expectations were high for Carson Benge and the left-hander not only met them but exceeded even the most optimistic pre-season best-case scenarios. In a park notoriously difficult for left-handed hitters, Benge was the only Cyclones player to appear in at least 50 games for them to hit over .300, and he logged 27 extra base hits in 60 games, roughly 1 every two games.
At the end of June, Benge was promoted from Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton. He did not miss a beat, hitting .317/.407/.571 in 32 games there, earning a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse in mid-August and ending his season knocking on the door of the majors.
TEAM CY YOUNG
Brendan Girton: 21 G (17 GS), 76.1 IP, 51 H, 32 R, 22 ER (2.59 ERA), 34 BB, 91 K, .270 BABIP
(Runner Up: Noah Hall)
The Mets’ 10th round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 2025 season was the right-hander’s first real foray into the world of professional baseball as he only threw a handful of innings in 2024. Assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the 23-year-old emerged as one of their top pitchers. Girton was promoted from Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton in mid-August and would go on to make four starts for them being placed on the 7-day injured list in early September and having his 2025 season end slightly prematurely.
While the numbers were excellent, Girton may have benefited from playing at Maimonides Park. His numbers at home were considerably better than his numbers on the road, with an ERA over a full run lower and much better rate stats for hits allowed, walks allowed, and strikeouts.
