The Rockaway Wave
Originally published April 19, 2024
Gilbert Gómez, the new manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones, has had an eventful 12 months.
In April of 2023, Gómez began his first season as a professional baseball manager, taking the helm of the Single-A St. Lucie Mets. Twelve months later, he’s managing one level up with the High-A Cyclones. In between, he took over as manager of Los Tigres del Licey mid-season and led them to the LIDOM championship.
Gómez, who turned just 32 years old in March, did all of this about a decade and a half after the Mets signed him as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic.
Originally signed as a 16-year-old outfielder, Gómez spent seven years in the Mets organization as a player, reaching as high as Double-A in 2016. He played 537 games, hit .229/.336/.327, and had 18 home runs and 74 stolen bases in his minor league career.
“It’s every child’s dream,” Gómez said. “… All the kids, especially from DR, we all want that to happen. Now being able to transition into this role with the same organization is very special. Not everybody has the chance to do that, and I’m blessed I was able to do it.”
After the 2015 season, Gómez said the Mets offered him, then 23 years old, a coaching role in the organization. He declined. He said he felt like he had a lot left in the tank and wanted to keep playing, so continued in some international leagues for about another year and a half.
“By the time I was 25, I couldn’t find a place to play honestly, and I wanted to get married, wanted to start a family, wanted to settle in a little bit more,” Gómez said. “That was the time that I actually made up my mind, made a decision, called the Mets, and they welcomed me with open arms.”
After managing the St. Lucie Mets in 2023, Gómez returned to his role of quality control coach for Los Tigres del Licey under manager and former New York Met José Offerman. He attended the Titans of the Caribbean series at Citi Field in November with Licey and threw batting practice on the field, something he said he will always remember.
He was also with the team when Ronny Mauricio, who at that point was one of Licey’s best hitters, tore his ACL.
“I’ve known Ronny since he was 16 years old, since he signed at the beginning of his career,” Gómez said. “Seeing the maturation and the development of his career to the point that he is right now, and then seeing that happen live, you feel for the guy. But you know he has the resiliency to get better and actually come back stronger from that.”
With just a handful of games left in the regular season, Licey fired Offerman, who had been a staple with the franchise for years. Gómez was appointed as his successor.
Licey won four of their final six games, grabbed the final spot in the playoffs, and won it all.
“[Managing] was definitely something that I was not expecting,” Gómez said. “It wasn’t on my bucket list for now. Eventually, I wanted to have a shot of managing in my hometown, but I know how that goes. You gotta manage a couple more years, you gotta wait a little bit longer. Eventually, you get interviews, you get the job. The fact I was able to transition right away, it’s something that was truly unexpected, but we took it and we ran away with it.”
Now, Gómez has been promoted from Single-A to High-A, from Port St. Lucie to Brooklyn. Most of his staff from last year came with him, including hitting coach Eduardo Núñez (not the former MLB infielder), pitching coach Dan McKinney and development coach Regan Saulnier — the last of whom is the first female full-time uniformed coach in Cyclones’ franchise history.
John Vaughn, the bench coach, is the only holdover from last year’s uniformed staff. Gómez’s bench coach in St. Lucie, Yucarybert De La Cruz, has now taken over managerial duties at the Single-A affiliate.
“The fact that we all went up, and then the guy that was left behind, De La Cruz, is now managing, it’s a good sign that we did what we were supposed to do last year,” Gómez said.
Some of the biggest names on Brooklyn’s roster to open up the season are pitchers Brandon Sproat and Calvin Ziegler, slugging first baseman/corner outfielder Ryan Clifford and two-way player Nolan McLean.
Ziegler, after being injured for all of 2023, started his 2024 campaign with a dominant four- inning, zero-hit, zero-walk, eight-strikeout performance. He then followed that up with another two-inning, two-walk, four-strikeout game. However, he has since landed on the season-long IL and will undergo Tommy John Surgery, Mike Mayer if Metsmerized Online reported.
Sproat, who burst onto the scene in the Spring Breakout game, has also had a strong start to the season. His first game was a mixed bag, going just 2 and 2⁄3 innings and walking five batters, but also striking out five and not allowing any runs.
“I know that he’s gonna be the first one to tell you that he wanted to be more in the zone,” Gómez said. “But the fact that he was able to dig deep and strike out those two guys with the bases loaded in a critical inning, that talks about the resiliency and the dog that he has in him. Really excited for the future of the kid.”
He bounced back nicely in his next start, going four innings while allowing three hits, two walks, one run and striking out another five.
Clifford is off to a slower start, hitting just .167/.286/.306 through his first ten games. He does have one home run on the year, an opposite-field shot at Coney Island, not a small feat for a left-handed hitter. However, he also has 14 strikeouts through his first 36 at-bats. Clifford has some of the most power in the Mets system, but also some legitimate swing-and-miss concerns.
“I know that he has the ability to be an impact bat in the major leagues, whether it’s at first base or in the corner outfield,” Gómez said. “He’s only 20 years old, he’s gonna only get stronger and better.”
Of the four highest-profile names, it’s probably McLean who has made the biggest splash to open up the year. That’s no surprise, the Mets are letting him develop as a two-way player, and when a two-way player is succeeding on both sides of the ball, that’s headline news.
On the mound, McLean threw 3 and 1⁄3 scoreless with two strikeouts in his season debut, while also walking one and hitting two. At the plate, he has three hits in his first 11 at-bats, but two of those hits have left the yard. He’s a big-time power hitter, and like a lot of power hitters he also strikes out his fair share. Of the eight outs he’s made, seven have come by the strikeout. His power is tantalizing, but that strikeout rate can’t continue to have sustained success.
“It’s another freak of nature man,” Gómez said. “Can throw a fastball up to 97, can hit a ball 110. … Another guy that carries himself with pretty big-league standards, and [I’m] looking forward to help him develop as well.”
McLean will work as a starting pitcher and a designated hitter, but likely not on the same day, Gómez said. He will also just be a DH for now, but Gómez didn’t close the door on him potentially finding a spot in the field eventually.
Gómez also highlighted some other members of the team who might not be as highly touted, including Omar De Los Santos, D’Andre Smith, William Lugo, Drake Osborn, Christian Pregent and Cyclones’ all-time home run leader Stanley Consuegra.
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