Daiverson Gutierrez. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
It’s been a long road to get to this point for Cyclones’ right-hander Wyatt Hudepohl.
As the clock struck two on Coney Island, Hudepohl poured in an 89-mph fastball to Hudson Valley Renegades’ leadoff hitter Core Jackson, marking a triumphant, long-awaited return to professional ball after 686 days on the sideline.
After a sterling collegiate career, New York selected the right-hander in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, inking him to a signing bonus worth 635,000 dollars. Eight games into his professional career, Hudepohl experienced arm discomfort in the fourth inning of a May 2024 start and missed the ensuing year and a half recovering from Tommy John Surgery.
He joined the Mets’ AFL contingent at the onset of the 2025 campaign, but did not get into a game for the Scottdale Scorpions.
The left-handed Jackson greeted Hudepohl rudely, taking his full-count offering over the right field wall at 108 mph, despite the park factors at Maimondies Park hindering right field pop.
The inning got out of hand from there as Hudson Valley loaded up the bases, requiring Hudepohl to deal with immediate traffic. The 25-year-old hit Renegades’ backstop with a pitch to score a run, balked in another, and induced a run-scoring ground ball to score a fourth. The inning extended another three batters, during which Hudson Valley crossed home once more. All nine starters for Hudson Valley reached base in the inning.
Despite 33 pitches to kick off his outing, Hudepol settled in nicely, retiring the Renegades in order in the second and third innings by mixing in his secondaries well, inducing four whiffs. His splitter and sweeper worked well with his over-the-top arm slot, offerings surely optimized by the Mets’ highly-regarded pitching lab.
A second-inning two-out punch out of Kyle West marked his first strikeout since he punched out Cardinals first-rounder Chase Davis on May 18th, 2024. In the third, he retired the middle-third of the Rengeades on just five pitches. A Cole Gabrielson walk with one out in the fourth ended his day.
Overall, Hudepohl threw 57 pitches over three and a third frames, a step in the right direction after two injury-marred seasons. He’s expected to continue to build his pitch count with the Cyclones. Regardless of the box score, the day represented a success for the Hudepohl clan; the outing represented a culmination of a nearly two-year journey.
Despite the early hole, the Cyclones’ lineup had its opportunities, but weren’t able to capitalize. Brooklyn had Renegades starter Sean Paul Liñan on the ropes early. In the first with two outs, Brooklyn 3B Antonio Jimenez shot a seeing-eye single to right field. Daiverson Gutierrez followed him by taking a curveball off his front foot. Liñan buckled down, catching backstop Ronald Hernandez looking at an inside fastball.
The Cyclones threatened two innings later, spelling the end of Liñan’s day after just 55 pitches. Diego Mosquera moved into scoring position with a walk and a stolen base. Two batters later, Jimenez joined him on the bases via a hit-by-pitch. A strikeout by Gutierrez ended the rally.
Jimenez, the pride of the University of Central Florida, is a roll to kick off his stint in High-A, going two-for-six with a double and a hit-by-pitch. Brooklyn manager Eduardo Nunez confirmed that Jimenez is expected to bounce between both positions on the left-hand side of the infield. An interview with the Mets’ third-round pick is forthcoming.
Despite a dearth of available relievers, five relievers followed Hudepohl. Bryce Jenkins, fresh off his own AFL stint, was impressive in his inning and a third, permitting only a single baserunner on the strength of his mid-90s fastball and power slider. Brett Banks flashed 94 in his own scoreless inning and a third.
Nunez faced limited options due to several inter-organizational moves. Before Brooklyn’s Opening Day Game, the Syracuse Mets snagged Tanner Witt from the Cyclones’ roster. After Binghamton’s 13-inning thriller last night, Irving Cota joined the club, transferring two key arms away from Nunez’s staff.
The Cyclones next play on Easter Sunday. Joel Diaz is expected to get the ball for Brooklyn at 2:00 pm.