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Binghamton’s Ceciliani Aims for Health, Success

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PORTLAND, Maine – It feels like an eternity for Binghamton Mets outfielder Darrell Ceciliani since he was selected by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 2009 draft.

He had just finished his senior season at Columbia Basin Community College in Pasco, Wash., where he ranked third in school history for single-season RBIs with 41.

“That was a long time ago!” laughed Ceciliani before the B-Mets opened their road series at the Portland SeaDogs Monday evening. “I wanted to play pro ball my whole life, and that was the one thing on my mind – just hoping it would work out.”

These days, the one thing on his mind is staying healthy. The 22-year old, who made his professional debut with Kingsport in 2009, has been plagued by hamstring issues for the past two seasons, beginning in 2011.

“I pulled my hamstring in Savannah the first time in a game, just running out to first base,” he recalled. “I missed a little bit of time, and it was frustrating, but I was ready to rehab and get back as soon as possible.”

Ceciliani played in 109 games for the Sand Gnats in 2011, batting .259 (109-for-421) with 23 doubles and 41 RBIs.

He thought he would be “good to go” after that, but sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. This was unfortunately the case for Ceciliani.

“The next year, I pulled my hamstring four times in St. Lucie, and that was tough,” he said. “That was honestly the worst because it just kept recurring.”

He was limited to 23 games and 85 at-bats last season. The only positive was he hit .329 in limited action with St. Lucie.

This was the last thing anybody could’ve expected for the outfielder after he posted impressive numbers in the New York Penn League during his 2010 stint with the Brooklyn Cyclones. Ceciliani led the league that year with a .351 batting average, 95 hits, and 56 runs. He also earned All-Star honors and won the Brooklyn Sterling Award.

“The main thing I learned there was just going out and competing every day,” Ceciliani said of his time with the Cyclones. “Being healthy was another.”

In fact, a great deal of Ceciliani’s mental approach was shaped by two influential ex-major leaguers in Brooklyn – his manager, Wally Backman, and hitting coach Benny Distefano.

“They both had time in the big leagues and had been around awhile, so I just picked their brain for anything – the way to go about the game and all kinds of little things,” said Ceciliani, who was ranked as the 27th prospect in the Mets organization by Baseball America coming into 2013.

When Ceciliani headed to Savannah for the 2011 season, his focus shifted to establishing regularity on the field and at the plate while continuing to work on his mental approach.

“I was still down in the lower levels, and I wanted to improve every part of my game,” he recalled. “The main thing was just consistency.”

Now, the main thing for Ceciliani is staying healthy after five instances of hamstring pulls during the 2011 and 2012 campaigns.

“I have to stay healthy,” he declared. “My main goal is to be on the field for as many games and days as possible throughout the year.”

In the past, he had been more concerned about playing hard, working on his game, and competing.

“All that stuff is always a goal,” he said, “but my main goal is to play at least 130 games.”

During his injury-plagued 2012 season, he consulted with specialists in his home state of Oregon to introduce a new kind of consistency into his baseball routine.

“We figured out the root of the problem and got on a routine to maintain my hamstrings and health, and I’ve just been doing that ever since,” said Ceciliani.

His daily routine now includes the help of a trainer to stretch and perform exercises in an attempt to prevent missing even more playing time.

“I have a big ritual now. It takes me 30 or 40 minutes before each game to get ready to go,” he explained. “I just stick with that every day and try to stay off the DL with a lot of injury prevention, maintenance, and strengthening, mainly.”

While it may seem Ceciliani is under the stress of preventing another hamstring injury, he is just relieved to have the opportunity to play regularly with Binghamton.

“I don’t necessarily feel any pressure. I just go out and play every day and do what I do,” he said. “If there’s any pressure at all, it’s of staying healthy. That’s the biggest thing.”

Perhaps this season would be a little more stressful for the bouncing-back Ceciliani if the dynamic of Binghamton’s clubhouse didn’t include exceptional team chemistry.

“Oh, we get along great,” said Ceciliani with a smile. “We’re always having fun.”

The outfielder already has four stolen bases this season as the B-Mets are off to one of their better starts (10-8 in the Eastern League East) in recent history. And take it from Ceciliani – they are enjoying every moment thus far.

“When you’re winning, it’s a lot easier to have fun,” he added. “Right now we’re playing well and just having a good time doing it.”

Follow Nicole Sorce on Twitter @nicolesorce

 

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