The 2020 season was supposed to be an important one for Thomas Szapucki. Having undergone Tommy John surgery in July 2017, the left-handed Mets pitching prospect returned to the mound in 2019 and showed the obvious signs of rustiness that generally come with such a prolonged absence from the mound. His durability didn’t seem all there. His fastball took time to get its velocity back, and even then, he did not recover it fully. His secondary pitches were not as sharp and crisp as they had been prior to going under the knife.
Another year removed from the surgery and reacclimated to the mound, the 2020 season was going to be a big test for the southpaw, a chance to show us the kind of pitcher he was going to be post-surgery and fully recovered.