Hustling overachiever Brett Gardner is one of a few former Baby Bombers to make the bigs.

It really is cool to see some of the players I covered here making an impact. Remember when Brett Gardner was just a fourth outfielder? Uh. Might want to rethink that one. The kid’s been money all season, pacing the Yankees in stolen bases while hitting over .300 and proving to be a tough out. Oh. And he can play a little D too. Kudos to Joe Girardi for having faith in Gards. The 2005 Staten Island Yankee Penn League champion center fielder making good.

Lots of love for my boy Cisco, who continues to be a solid backup catcher. Able to give Jorge Posada a day off, Francisco Cervelli has swung the bat decent and continues to be superb behind the plate. It’s really great to see the kid from Venezuela who wasn’t highly thought of make it. Out in Staten Island at Richmond County Ball Park in St. George, Cisco proved to be a Penn League All-Star, joining teammates Mitch Hilligoss, Seth Fortenberry, Wilmer Pino, George Kontos and Nick Peterson. Still fresh in my mind was a piece I did on them for NYSD. At the time, Cervelli didn’t speak a lot of English but did give me a couple of lines which I used. The once shy backstop now speaks much more fluently and even has come on WFAN for interviews. Good stuff.

Another former Baby Bomber who finally debuted in the bigs is outfielder Colin Curtis. The former Arizona State standout who played an excellent center for the repeat NY-Penn champs has progressed nicely through the organization. Possessing a steady bat along with good tools, the 25 year-old Curtis was in his second year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre batting .280 with a .357 on-base percentage before getting the call. Only hitting .200 (5-for-25), most of his success has come as a pinch-hitter, including a couple of big base knocks. Most memorable was a long at bat he had against Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton. After falling behind 0-2, he kept fouling off pitches, eventually working the count full before his RBI fielder’s choice tied the game as the Yanks rallied to stun Joe Torre’s Dodgers 8-6 on June 27. Such a quality at-bat had to make an impression, which probably is why he’s still up for the time being.

Other players who had brief stints include setup man Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy, who has done alright since being dealt to Arizona as part of a blockbuster three-team trade that sent Curtis Granderson to the Bronx and former top prospect Austin Jackson to Detroit where he’s a Rookie Of The Year candidate.

For players like Hilligoss (now in A’s organization playing for AA Frisco Roughriders), rehabbing ’06 Bomber hero George Kontos, utility man Justin Snyder, former Grand Street High School star Dellin Betances and Zach McAllister, it has to be a good motivator moving forward.

Patience is the key. Each must continue to persevere. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll hear their names called over the loudspeaker.