After breakout season with the Gamecocks, Cone enjoying life in the minors

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Frequently compared to former long-time major leaguer Johnny Damon (1995-2012) in terms of his all-out playing style, Gene Cone hopes one day to reach ‘The Show.’

But first the former South Carolina standout must endure lengthy bus rides through the backroads of America playing in well-worn stadiums in front of a few thousand fans living in towns that have seen better days.

Six weeks ago, Cone played his final game for the Gamecocks against Oklahoma State in the Super Regionals, capping a sensational junior campaign for the Columbia native highlighted by a 31-game hitting streak in which he led USC in batting average (.363), hits (78) and on-base percentage (.474), and committed just two errors defensively.

Drafted by the New York Mets in the 10th round, Cone soon signed a contract and entered the professional baseball ranks with the Brooklyn Cyclones of the short-season Class A New York-Penn League.

“It’s been fun,” Cone told Gamecock Central Thursday in an exclusive interview at Centennial Field on the campus of the University of Vermont. “I’ve met a lot of good guys. It’s a lot of baseball when you have to go out and play every day, but who is going to complain about that? Getting to the big leagues will take a lot of hard work. Everybody has to put in their time.”

Heading into Friday night’s game at Vermont, Cone was batting .240 (24-for-100) with three doubles, 11 walks and seven RBI in his first 25 games as a professional.

By the time the 2016 season ends in early September, Cone will have played about 125 games in seven months, a lot for somebody used to the 60-to-65 game schedule of college baseball.

The key, Cone says, is not getting too high or too low working through the daily grind of pro baseball and battling your way out of the slumps that torment every major or minor league player at some point during the course of the long season.

“The biggest thing is when you’re not going so well, you still have to go back out there,” Cone said. “You don’t get a break. If you start moping, you will go 0-for-25 in an instant. You have to be able to turn it around and go day-to-day as best you can.”

His current batting average is 123 points below his full season average for the Gamecocks in 2016 (.363), but Cone says the pitching and defense in the Short Season Class A NY-Penn League is vastly underrated.

“This just as good as the SEC and maybe a touch better,” Cone said. “The arms are really good and the position players make it tough on you. I’ve had some really good plays made against me when I’ve been hitting. The pitchers have definitely kept me at bay. They do a very good job.

“I’ve been told that if you can pull a .250 batting average out of this league, you’ve done something pretty substantial. You face a lot of high round draft picks every day. The bullpens are definitely a notch above (the SEC). The back of the bullpens are definitely good in every organization.”

After being drafted by the Mets, Cone compared the benefits of signing a pro contract against returning to the Gamecocks for his senior season. Because seniors have virtually zero negotiating leverage, Cone felt the time was right to sign.

“I definitely thought about (returning to USC), but I had a pretty good year (for the Gamecocks in 2016) and going back for that senior year is a gamble, to be honest with you,” Cone said. “In my opinion, you have to take the money and run with it. That’s what I chose to do. I’m not regretting it so far. Hopefully, it keeps turning out well.

Cone played mostly right field for the Gamecocks in 2016, but has played all three outfield spots for the Cyclones in his first 25 games. Most of his starts have been in left or right field.

“I’ve probably done about the same on the corners,” Cone said. “Center was my favorite position in the past, but I haven’t played it in so long I’ve probably gotten a little rusty at it.”

After appearing in eight straight games, including both ends of a doubleheader against local rival Staten Island Tuesday, Cone was given the night off on Thursday and watched Brooklyn’s 5-3 victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters at Centennial Stadium from the dugout.

Vermont started former Florida Gator lefthander AJ Puk, the No. 6 overall pick in June’s MLB draft, on the mound Thursday. In addition, Cone had just five hits in his previous 28 at-bats (.179), so a night off could prove beneficial for him.

“I don’t complain about a day off because it gives me a chance to get off my feet a little bit and it helps me get rejuvenated for the next five or six games in a row I will play,” Cone said.

Brooklyn’s season concludes Sept. 5.

Next year, Cone, who starred at Spring Valley High School before joining the Gamecocks, could experience a homecoming with the Columbia Fireflies, the Met’s mid-tier Class A-affiliate based in the Palmetto State’s capitol city.

“Who wouldn’t want to do that, but wherever they put me, that’s where I’m going,” Cone said. “If it’s Columbia, that would be great.”

For now, Cone is living in Brooklyn, which he succinctly describes as “different” from Columbia.

“I’m enjoying the experience so far and I don’t have many complaints at all,” Cone said. “We draw pretty good home crowds (Brooklyn’s stadium is situated at Coney Island). The facilities are good and the teams treat us great.”