Thomas Hackimer was told his chances of making the St. John’s baseball team as an infielder were long. The odds of him getting drafted were somewhere between unrealistic and fantasy.
But as a pitcher, a position he only dabbled in as a little leaguer? That changed everything for the Queens native, who took the suggestion of St. John’s coach Ed Blankmeyer and ran with it, running with it so far, he developed into the Red Storm’s lockdown closer and a 15th-round pick of his hometown Mets on Wednesday.
“Looking back at where I’ve come from and how far I am today, it’s pretty unreal overall,” he said.