Ed Blankmeyer leaves St. John’s to coach Brooklyn Cyclones

The St. John’s Red Storm will begin the baseball season with a new manager now that 24 year veteran head coach Ed Blankmeyer left the club to join the Mets Single-A affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones as Manager.

The departure was announced yesterday.

Blankmeyer’s absence will be felt. He managed 1,333 games with the Red Storm and finishes with a career record of 829-500-4, good for most wins by a manager in program history. Blankmeyer also registered 347 Big East wins and eight Big East Manager of the Year awards, both good for most in conference history.

Blankmeyer leaves a lasting legacy that will serve as a model for other coaches at St. John’s and other Big East programs. He won six Big East regular season titles, five Big East Tournament wins, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, and winning seasons in 23 out of his 24 years as manager.

The job — replacing Edgardo Alfonzo as manager in the developmental Single-A New York Mets affiliate that plays in the New York-Penn League — will move him a mere 20 miles away from Jack Kaiser Stadium.

In Blankmeyer’s absence, the Johnnies are reported to be interested in hiring the next manager from within, preferring assistant coach Mike Hampton or pitching coach George Brown. In that case, the team will remain relatively unchanged except for the empty spot on the coaching staff that we expect to be filled before the season begins next month.

The Johnnies were 31-23 last season, falling in the Big East Championship game to Xavier.

The Red Storm open up the season on February 14th with a number of new faces, including a new head coach, but will be led by Mike Antico, Nick Mondak and Mitchell Henshaw.