Frank Valentino (Jacob Resnick/Mets Minors)
Just one week ago, Frank Valentino was pitching in Florence, Kentucky, a town of approximately 30,000 people — or what the Brooklyn Cyclones call a good homestand.
On Sunday, Valentino made his debut in affiliated baseball with 5 1/3 strong innings, scattering seven hits and allowing just three unearned runs. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
“I don’t know if I’ve really comprehended it all yet. It’s surreal,” said Valentino, 24, who was signed after a year-and-a-half in the independent leagues on Friday. “I always thought I would end up in an [affiliated] organization, but to be here in New York at home, it just means the world.”
It was a homecoming for Valentino from the moment he donned the baby blue Cyclones threads. The 24-year-old grew up in West Islip, Long Island, rooting for the organization with which he had just signed and graduated from New York Tech in 2017.
Former teammates, relatives, and friends of the Valentino family packed the seats behind the Brooklyn dugout and, safe to say, their boisterous cheers didn’t go unnoticed by anyone.
“That was actually the hardest thing to stay away from distracting me,” Valentino said. “I loved hearing it. It made me juiced up.”
The former Bear’s story is one of hard work and perseverance. After finishing his collegiate career he played for the Vallejo Admirals of the Pacific Association in 2018 before landing with the Florence Freedom of the Frontier League this season. Content with his situation there, Valentino knew he would have to do more if he wanted to reach a major league organization.
“I put in all the extra work to get to that next step,” he said. “I had some great coaches over there in Florence, we tweaked a few things here [in Brooklyn]. It was just believing in myself, trusting what I had.”
The Cyclones will hope that Valentino is able to continue to pitch like he did on Sunday, which was not dissimilar to the first two months of his 2019 season. In eight starts with the Freedom, he posted a 2.10 ERA with seven quality starts.
“I liked what I saw today,” Brooklyn manager Edgardo Alfonzo said. “He was very composed on the mound and his presence was pretty good. He got a little tired at the end but the first outing was very good.”
Sunday was certainly a dream day for Valentino, but even he — if only he — believed that it would one day become a reality.
“I never ruled it out,” he said. “I always gave myself that chance, that belief.”
That belief led to a new strong arm in the Cyclones’ rotation.
