Molina receives Mets’ top minor league honor

Cyclones’ Righty Tabbed for Sterling Award After Big Season

September 16, 2014 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Cyclones right-hander Marcos Molina was honored at Citi Field Monday night as the Mets’ Sterling Award winner at Class A short-season Brooklyn.

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Marcos Molina grew up before our very eyes on Coney Island this summer.

Apparently, the Brooklyn Cyclones’ 19-year-old right-hander also rose exponentially in the eyes of the Mets’ Minor League talent evaluators.

On Monday night during a special pre-game ceremony at Citi Field, Molina was honored for his season-long mound mastery as the parent club’s Sterling Award winner for his efforts at the Class A short-season level on Coney Island.

“They tell me that a year ago, he got flustered in the [Rookie-level Gulf Coast League],” Brooklyn manager Tom Gamboa revealed of his staff ace just last month as the Cyclones chased the New York-Penn League’s wild-card spot.

“There were people in the Mets system who were concerned about him handling the crowds and the lights.”

No need for concern after this season.

Molina shined brilliantly beneath the glaring lights and capacity crowds at the Cyclones’ 8,000-plus seat facility by the sea, dominating the NY-Penn circuit like no Brooklyn hurler before him.

He led the league with seven wins, a 1.77 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 91 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings, earning an All-Star nod and toeing the rubber for the opening frame of the NY-Penn Late-Summer Classic at MCU Park, fanning two of the three batters he faced that night.

Molina finished strong as well, proving he could stand up to the weight of his most innings logged since joining the organization as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He reached double digits in strikeouts in three of his final four appearances, including a career-high 12 punchouts during a seven-inning, one-hit gem at Vermont on Aug. 15.

Dominant performances by Molina became so commonplace this season that Gamboa resorted to four simple words when discussing his starts during post-game press conferences: “A typical Molina outing.”

All this success came after a spotty campaign in the GCL, where Molina put up a 4.38 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 11 outings for Kingsport last year.

“He’s matured so fast from last year to this, that from Day 1 here, he’s been in total command and poised in all his outings,” Gamboa added. “It’s just a credit to him and his growth and maturity and the God-given ability that he’s got.”

That ability will certainly be put to the test in 2015 as Molina continues to climb the organizational ladder.

“He needs to be challenged to get the most out of him,” Gamboa noted. “I would like to see him, at 20, be challenged. I think the [Class-A Advanced] Florida State League is a good place for him. There’s a good chance they take him on the natural course to [Long Season Class A] Savannah for a couple months, but I would expect him to finish next year in Port St. Lucie.

“He is just a different guy and different guys don’t take a normal progression,” Gamboa added. “I’m sure the Mets will be very pleased with the year he has had. I think he is on the really fast track in terms of his development.”

Molina, along with the Sterling Award winners from the rest of the Mets’ Minor League affiliates, joined general manager Sandy Alderson in visiting the troops and their families at Bay Ridge’s Fort Hamilton Army Base earlier Monday.

They then watched as Mets rookie hurler Jacob deGrom matched a Major League record by striking out the first eight Marlins he faced at Citi Field.

In a few years, maybe it will be Molina on the mound in Flushing, setting down big league hitters much the way he did this past summer along Surf Avenue.

We can all then say that we witnessed the start of something great right here in Brooklyn.

This, That and the Other Thing: MCU Park’s newest inhabitants, the FXFL’s Brooklyn Bolts, announced their coaching staff for their inaugural campaign in our fair borough. Former NFL offensive lineman John Bock was named as head coach of the Bolts, who will kick off the home portion of their schedule Oct. 15 on Coney Island. Bock spent six seasons in the NFL, where he played for notable head coaches such as Marv Levy, Jimmy Johnson, Dave Wannstedt and Jon Gruden. Most recently, Bock served as an assistant coach at Florida International University. Joining Bock on the Brooklyn staff will be former NFL players Marvin Jones, James Brown, Nate Poole, Deon Dyer and Kelvin Kinney. Former NFL head coach and defensive coordinator Rod Rust will serve as a consultant to the Bolts. Also serving as coaching consultants will be Don Strock, Danny Hope and Fred O’Connor. For more information on the Bolts, visit www.brooklyncyclones.com.