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Mets pitching prospect Szapucki on rapid rise
- Updated: August 3, 2016
BROOKLYN — Thomas Szapucki had a big decision to make in June 2015 — play for a college powerhouse or sign a Major League contract.
Szapucki opted to pass on the University of Florida, as he was selected by the New York Mets in the fifth round of the ’15 MLB Draft, just days before his 19th birthday. A little over a year later, Szapucki is lighting up the Minors, making his decision look like it was the right one.
Szapucki, a hard-throwing left-hander, has been breezing by batters with his mid-90’s fastball, impressing coaches and scouts in the process.
In MLB Pipeline’s preseason rankings, Szapucki was listed as the No. 17 prospect in the Mets’ farm system. After stringing together a series of strong performances with the Rookie-level Kingsport Mets, which included a 0.62 ERA with 47 strikeouts across 29 innings, Szapucki was promoted to the Class A Short-Season Brooklyn Cyclones on July 21.
In the updated midseason prospect rankings, Szapucki climbed up to the Mets’ No. 8 .
“[Szapucki] has an electric arm speed. God gave him a gift,” said Brooklyn Cyclones pitching coach Bill Bryk, Jr. “I tell my pitchers, ‘I can’t teach you that part, but the rest I can teach’. …
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