Somerset Patriots Ink Ex-Brooklyn Cyclone Southpaw Gunner Kines

After four seasons with the Schaumburg Boomers of the independent Frontier League, the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) have signed former Brooklyn Cyclone (New York Mets) lefty Gunner Kines on Thursday, according to the team. 

Kines amassed a 22-17 record with a 2.95 ERA and 350 strikeouts over 350.1 innings of work across 58 starts with the Boomers. This includes three seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA and a 2017 season in which he went 5-1 with a 1.31 ERA across seven starts. 

“Gunnar has put together some stellar years in the Frontier League and we are anxious to get him into camp to get our eyes on him,” Patriots manager Brett Jodie said on www.somersetpatriots.com. “Gunnar will compete for a spot in our starting rotation. I think his stuff will translate well into our league and we expect some big things out of Kines this year. Gunnar attacks hitters by pounding the zone and allowing his defense to play behind him.”

The Miami Marlins selected Kines in the 36th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Division II Mount Olive College in North Carolina.

Kines spent one season in the Marlins organization before he joined Schaumburg.

After an impressive start to his 2017 campaign in Schaumburg, the Mets organization purchased Kines’ contract and assigned him to short-season Single-A Brooklyn. He posted a 2-2 record with a 3.00 ERA across seven appearances (three starts) with the Cyclones before rejoining the Boomers in 2018.

In addition to Mount Olive College, the 26-year-old enjoyed a notable collegiate career including a stop at Florence-Darlington Tech Community College in St, Florence, South Carolina.

He is currently competing for a championship in the Australian Baseball League (ABL), where he owns a 3-2 record with a 1.50 ERA over nine starts for the Adelaide Giants.

— Jerry Del Priore