by The Brooklyn Cyclones will begin the quest to defend their 2026 South Atlantic League title this Friday, April 3, at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn. They will host the Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m.
The Cyclones released their Opening Day roster on Wednesday, featuring numerous top prospects and former first-round picks.
Headlining the group is Mitch Voit, the Mets’ most recent first-round pick. An infielder, Voit will spend most of his time on the dirt up the middle. He likely profiles as a second baseman, but the Mets will give him time at shortstop. He also played some outfield in college, but didn’t play there in the 22 games he played for Single-A St. Lucie to end 2025.
Voit didn’t make much noise in his cameo with St. Lucie last season, hitting .235/.343/.294/.638 with just three extra-base hits in 99 plate appearances, but stole 20 bases in 21 attempts and played strong defense. Voit is a bit of a data darling, doing a lot of the things at the plate that modern front offices look for. He swings a fast bat and makes hard contact, and pairs that with strong swing decisions and contact rates. Voit is a righty, which should spare him from the difficulties lefties have playing in Brooklyn.
He is also a former two-way player, following in a trend of recent Mets draft picks like Nolan McLean and Carson Benge. Voit gave up pitching ahead of 2025, which in turn saw him break out at the plate for the University of Michigan.
Also on the roster is Antonio Jimenez, the Mets’ third-round pick and second selection in 2025 (the Mets forfeited their second-round pick in 2025 by signing Juan Soto). A shortstop, he will likely join Voit up the middle for most of Brooklyn’s games in 202. He should also spend some time at third base.
Notable returnees include 2023 Mets first-round pick Colin Houck, who is entering a big year for his career. Houck has struggled in his first two full seasons in pro ball and is returning to Brooklyn after hitting .198 with a .558 OPS over 54 games. He initially started the year strong in Single-A, but was unable to carry that momentum through his promotion.
Catcher Ronald Hernández, who hit a pair of walk-off home runs in 2025, is back, along with fellow catcher Vincent Perozo. Newcomer Daiverson Gutiérrez, a catcher highly regarded for his defense, rounds out the group.
Infielders Trace Willhoite and Corey Collins, outfielders Yohairo Cuevas, John Bay, and Yonatan Henriquez, and utility man Diego Mosquera are all also returning.
The Cyclones are carrying 18 pitchers on the Opening Day roster. Noah Hall and Joel Díaz, two anchors of Brooklyn’s 2025 rotation, are returning to Coney Island. Irving Cota, Cristofer Gómez, Dakota Hawkins, Hoss Brewer, and Channing Austin are among the returnees. 2023 fourth-round pick Wyatt Hudepohl is the most notable among the newcomers.
Eduardo Núñez will manage Brooklyn in what will be his third season with the Cyclones. Núñez spent 2024 with the Cyclones as the hitting coach and 2025 as the bench coach. His staff includes Dallas Burke as bench coach, Devin De Young as hitting coach, and Luis Alvarado as pitching coach.
