Left-hander Thomas Szapucki’s assignment to Brooklyn did not only serve as a promotion from Kingsport. It also was a homecoming.
Szapucki grew up in Toms River, New Jersey. At age 10, his family relocated to Florida -- in large part so Szapucki could have the best chance at succeeding in baseball, although also because they were "sick of the cold," he said.
Szapucki eventually committed to the University of Florida, but instead signed with the New York Mets in 2015 after getting selected in the fifth round out of high school in West Palm Beach.