4. LHP Thomas Szapucki

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 50

MLB Player Comparison: Mets LHP Steven Matz

Change Thomas Szapucki’s last name to Matz and he might as well be his twin.

Szapucki has shot up the Mets’ prospect ranks since the inception of his professional baseball career.  His whipping power-curve and sometimes 97 mph fastball are already proving to be a deadly combination against minor league hitters.

In two seasons between Rookie-ball and Low-A, Szapucki has a sub-2.00 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP and a whopping 89 strikeouts in just 54.1 innings pitched. Perhaps even more impressive for an only 20-year-old lefty is that he’s only given up two home runs during that span.

So even though Szapucki is still a few years off from being major league ready, look for him to be near the top of the organizational prospects rankings sooner rather than later.

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Chris Thompson
Chris recently graduated with a Journalism degree from Montclair State University. Baseball is his love and he hopes to bring back some of the old-school popularity to the game. Chris Thompson covers the NY Jets and NY Mets for Elite Sports NY. You can interact with him on Twitter @Time2Topher.

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