For eight major league seasons, Edgardo Alfonzo took the field at Shea Stadium and developed himself into one of the best infielders in Mets history.
As he was doing so, Alfonzo thought about being in the manager’s seat one day, making critical decisions and helping to develop his own players.
He’ll get his chance Monday night as the Cyclones travel to face the crosstown Staten Island Yankees at Richmond County Bank Ballpark for their season opener.
“It’s definitely something I thought about,” Alfonso told The Post. “If the situation presented itself, I wanted to go for it.”
Alfonzo played 12 seasons in the majors with four teams, hitting .284 with 146 home runs and 596 RBIs, earning a Silver Slugger award in 1999 and an All-Star appearance in 2000. He was part of the lone Mets teams to reach consecutive National League Championship Series and he wants to impart that type of culture to his own team.
The Cyclones, the Mets’ short-season Class-A team, last reached the New York-Penn League playoffs five years ago, and haven’t finished a season with a record above .500 since 2014. But in the world of minor league baseball, a season is not only judged on wins and losses, but also in player development.
It’s the delicate balancing act of managing in the minors, where Alfonzo believes his big league experience can help those struggling in their first few years of professional baseball.
“As a manager you want to win,” Alfonzo said. “When you are in a situation to win, that’s what you want to do, but you also want to develop guys in pressure situations. This is a good place to do that.”
Look up and down the current Mets roster and names of former Cyclones are found throughout: Michael Conforto, Lucas Duda, T.J. Rivera and Brandon Nimmo, who recently returned to Flushing after he did not produce enough results during a stint with the big club last season.
Having more prospects contributing to the major league club is something that has become more commonplace throughout baseball, which has turned into a young man’s game in recent years.
As older players suffer injuries or decline in production, teams are frequently turning to younger and cheaper alternatives from their minor league systems.
“We told the guys today that they are going to have fun playing here, but you want to be at Citi Field,” Alfonzo said. “This is where you start. Michael Conforto played here. That’s your goal and that type of motivation is key.”
In Staten Island, the Yankees are coming off of a 44-31 finish last season and a first-round exit from the playoffs. The team last won the New York-Penn League title in 2011, but has achieved sustained success over the last few seasons.
Manager Julio Mosquera was introduced to his team Saturday and has a multitude of players the organization would like to see him develop this season. There is 19-year-old Wilkerman Garcia of the star-studded international free-agent class of 2014, a former Fordham standout in pitcher Greg Weissert and last year’s New York-Penn League RBIs leader, outfielder Timmy Robinson.
“This is what we do in the Yankees organization,” Mosquera said. “We develop winning mentalities and have specific game plans for each player.”