From the ashes of a disastrous Brooklyn Cyclones season, a new young star is rising.
Right-fielder Jose Miguel “Funky Cold” Medina has been one of the Clones’ few stand-outs this summer. As the team’s losses — 27 so far — have piled up, Medina, a native of the Dominican Republic 0who started playing baseball when he was just 13 years old, has piled up individual numbers that have him ranked among some of the best hitters in the New York-Penn League.
As of August 1, he’s racked up 34 hits, 46 total bases, and posted a .272 batting average — all of which put him in the league’s top-25. Medina is among the league’s top 40 in runs scored (40), on-base percentage (.336) and slugging parentage (.368). Even more impressive: he’s second in the league in stolen bases, with 17.
Cyclones manager Edgardo Alfonzo believes the secret to Medina’s success has been an improved batting stance.
“When his foot gets down early, things can happen,” Fonzie said. “That is what he has been doing for us.”
Medina said he’s well aware that if he’s to have any chances of making the major leagues, he’ll need to stay consistent at the plate.
“It’s very important because when I do that, I can take the most out of the pitch and hit the most out of the ball,” he said, speaking through a translator.
Medina’s shining moment this season came on July 16 versus the State College (pa.) Spikes. The game was tied 1–1 in the bottom of the ninth; Brooklyn had runners on first and second, but was down to its final out. Medina swung and ripped a single to left field to score the game-winning run. He was happy to be the Clones’ hero, but even happier that the team won.
“I play for the team all the time and I want to win every day so [the game-winning hit] felt good,” Medina said.
Unfortunately, Medina’s contributions haven’t done much to help the team’s batting stats as a whole. As the calendar turned to August, Brooklyn sat near the bottom of the league in hits and batting average, and second-to-last in runs scored. As the second half of the season approaches, Medina knows he needs to continue his productivity at the plate if the Cyclones are to improve on the 13 wins logged to this point.
“The season is starting right now,” said Medina, who got his “funky cold” nickname from the popular rap song “funky cold medina” by Ton Loc. “So I have to keep working hard for the team.”
