Vaughn Healthy and Hungry for Action

BROOKLYN, NY - Third baseman Tyler Vaughn is finally back on the field following surgery that kept him away from it for nearly two years. In short time Vaughn has assumed the hot corner for the Cyclones and his start is proof that he does not want to give it up as he seeks as much playing time as possible.

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Tyler Vaughn was originally drafted by the Mets in 2007, yet he has played in fewer professional games than many of this year’s rookies. The 24-year-old third baseman has been limited to only 25 games coming into this year. It is safe to say that the main thing that has held Tyler back has been his health.

He struggled with arm pain in college and shoulder surgery caused him to miss the entire 2005 season. Most recently in 2007, he was forced to undergo shoulder surgery again. He suffered a torn labrum early into his rookie season with Kingsport and with under 100 at-bats under his belt he was shut down for the remainder of the season, all of the 2008 season and even the beginning part of this year.

But just as he did in college, Vaughn has proved resilient, once again bouncing back strong from injury.

“It has been exciting. I had such a long time off that there is a new fire in me to get back out her, have fun and just play the game,” he said.

Luckily he has had no issues with his throwing shoulder and he has been able to resume his throwing program and have everything go normal.

Coming into this season it seems no one really knew what to expect, but after a chance to get his legs back under him in Kingsport, he has been given a shot in Brooklyn where the team had lacked consistent production from the third base position all season.

“It has been awesome. It is a great place to play and I am just excited to be here. I have been seeing the ball well, and from there I just want to drive the ball and hopefully have some guys come in and score,” described Vaughn.

“I think I will be moving around in the order a little bit, but my job is to get on base and do anything I can defensively and offensively to help the team win.”

It is easy to see Vaughn brings intensity to every at-bat as well as in the field, where he looks surprisingly smooth for a guy who has played under 40 games the past three seasons. But for him it is not his bat nor his glove that concerns him the most, it is his health.

“Right now my biggest concern has got to be my health. All ball players have places to improve and so do I, but I just have to head out there everyday and prove that I can be consistent. It has been a couple of years since I played and I just want to stay healthy. Taking the field on a consistent basis is my biggest goal.”

And since his promotion to Brooklyn he has not stopped hitting. He has emerged as Brooklyn’s top hitter since he got here, batting for power, average and he has even been stealing some bases, and for the time being, he has leapfrogged Giarraputo on the depth chart. In 11 games with the Cyclones, Vaughn is hitting .349 with one home run, four RBI.

“He has been a great addition to our ball club. He provides us with good offense and he is doing a good job. He is a hard-nose player and I hope he continues to play that way. As of right now he is the everyday third baseman but there is still a long ways to go,” said Brooklyn’s manager Pedro Lopez.

Vaughn is mainly a line-drive type hitter who should maintain a decent average while hitting for some power. Along with being one of the team’s top batters, his speed for his size has proved to be a tremendous asset. Most of all, he feels a sense of urgency now that many players lack.

If Tyler Vaughn is going to get himself going it needs to be now. Over the next few weeks, eyes will be on Vaughn to see if he is able to maintain his current level of play, and whether or not there are any lingering effects from shoulder surgeries that took away over two years from his career.

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