STARS ON THE FARM: 10 Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns baseball players shining in the minors

The time has arrived to take a look down on the farm.

Minor league baseball will take a momentary pause this week in conjunction with the MLB All-Star Game. Eight players with ties to Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties have competed in the big leagues this summer.

The list of minor leaguers is nearly triple that amount.

It's time to shine a spotlight on local pros who are a step or two — more, in a handful of instances — shy of the majors.

Here are 10 Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns area baseball players enjoying productive seasons in the minors, listed alphabetically and with the MLB club to whom they are contracted.

Note: All stats are updated through games on Thursday, July 14.

CHECKING IN: How Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns big leaguers are performing at MLB All-Star break

Logan Allen, Cleveland Guardians

Pitchers dominate this list, but few are making the kind of waves in the minors as Allen, a former Gatorade Florida Player of the Year during his incredible career at University.

The 6-foot, 190-pound lefty struck out 104 batters in 73 innings with Double-A Akron, adding a 5-3 record with a 3.33 ERA. Allen, 23, was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Month in June after allowing just five earned runs in 25⅔ innings, fanning 39 and walking six.

Allen's transition into Triple-A hasn't gone as smoothly. He is 0-2 with a 12.54 ERA in three starts for the Columbus Clippers.

Tyler Cyr, Philadelphia Phillies

Embry-Riddle sent a couple of pitchers to the majors in recent years — Daniel Ponce de Leon in St. Louis, followed by Zac Grotz in Seattle. Cyr, long one of the better bullpen arms in the San Francisco Giants' farm system, is knocking on the door with Philly.

Making 26 appearances, all in relief, Cyr is 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA; it was as low as 1.65 on June 10. He's averaging nearly a strikeout per inning, but also 4.67 walks per nine for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Jacob deGrom, New York Mets

One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn't belong.

Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner deGrom, 34, will return to the Mets soon enough. As of now, though, he has exclusively pitched in the minors after suffering a stress reaction in his right scapula during spring training.

He fired 4⅔ innings of shutout ball in a pair of rehab assignments for St. Lucie, striking out six Tortugas in his first visit to Jackie Robinson Ballpark as a pro.

deGrom took the mound Thursday for Triple-A Syracuse, working for the first time with New York's prized catching prospect Francisco Álvarez. He worked efficiently, completing four innings on just 42 pitches and allowing two hits and an unearned run.

Josh Dye, Kansas City Royals

Another reliever inching ever closer to a call-up to the majors, DeLand High grad Dye has tallied four wins and four holds for the Omaha Storm Chasers.

The 25-year-old southpaw maintains a 2.45 ERA across 40⅓ innings. Dye has not allowed a run in his last eight appearances, including five multi-inning outings.

Anthony Maldonado, Miami Marlins

Bethune-Cookman's active, affiliated alumni list stands at two — both within the Marlins' farm system. Demetrius Sims has played 30 games for Triple-A Jacksonville, hitting .216 with a couple of homers.

Former All-MEAC pitcher Maldonado, 24, is one step below, at Double-A Pensacola, but he's put up some strong strikeout numbers — 48, to be exact, in 35 innings. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound righty is 2-3 with a 3.60 ERA working exclusively in relief.

Ben Onyshko, Seattle Mariners

A key cog in Stetson's bullpen during its Super Regional run, Onyshko has already been called upon 27 times this year for Double-A Arkansas.

The Canadian left-hander, 25, is tied for the team lead with seven holds. Onyshko is 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 39 innings.

Robbie Peto, Los Angeles Dodgers

Peto, 24, turned down three prior chances to go pro, enjoying a productive career at Stetson in the process, before signing with L.A. in 2020. The Dodgers converted the former Hatter ace into a reliever, and he's done well enough to climb the first step of the ladder.

In 17 appearances, 16 out of the 'pen, Peto is 5-0 with a 4.04 ERA this season. The Dodgers reassigned the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Peto to High-A Great Lakes at the start of May.

Cam Robinson, Milwaukee Brewers

One of three University High pitchers drafted after the program's state runner-up finish in 2017, Robinson is thriving as a closer.

Robinson, 22, leads the Midwest League with 19 saves in 21 opportunities. No one else in the league has topped double digits.

The hard-throwing, 6-foot-1, 194-pound righty averages 11.9 strikeouts per nine. Robinson, recently promoted to Double-A Biloxi, has a 3-1 record with a 1.70 ERA and an 1.02 WHIP.

Zac Veen, Colorado Rockies

The area's lone representative in last weekend's Futures Game, Veen has Rockies fans justifiably excited. He's a rare power-speed prospect in the outfield, pairing an .861 OPS with 41 stolen bases.

Veen, the ninth overall pick in 2020 following a Gatorade Florida Player of the Year campaign at Spruce Creek, has come alive in July with a .375/.423/.583 slash line. The 20-year-old is up to 11 home runs, 54 RBIs and 63 runs scored.

Jacob Young, Washington Nationals

The Ponte Vedra grad, and former Florida Gator carries the flag for St. Johns County in this list. He's been a nuisance for Single-A batteries on the base paths.

Young, 22, has 26 stolen bases for Fredericksburg. He's hitting .242 with two home runs, eight triples, seven doubles and 73 runs scored in 74 games. Perhaps most impressively, given its his first full pro season, the 6-foot, 180-pound outfielder has drawn 36 walks.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 10 Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns players shining in minor league baseball