Suozzi's Amazin' Dream Comes True

The oldest baseball fable centers around the kid playing in his parents' backyard. Every throw is the final out of a World Series, and every swing wins the seventh game for his favorite team. He emulates his heroes and dreams of playing their game, in their uniforms, as a professional.

One of those kids usually cares about the game more than most. He harbors something different because his undying passion tapped into something deeper. There's an intensity that doesn't go away, even when obstacles say a professional career is completely and utterly impossible.

In 2006, Joe Suozzi found that love when David Wright nearly led the New York Mets to the World Series. He discovered that little something different by watching Endy Chavez's robbery double play of Scott Rolen in the seventh game, and his heart broke when St. Louis eventually won.

It bonded him to baseball and fueled a dream to one day play for his hometown team, even as he went unrecruited and undrafted as a walk-on at an ACC school. This week, though, the dream came true, and Suozzi signed a free agent contract with the New York Mets.

"It's really surreal," Suozzi said. "I woke up and pinched myself. Everything in my bedroom is Mets stuff - this is a dream come true."

Suozzi's story is a testament to both the athlete and the program that accepted him. He played high school baseball at Chaminade and won the 2013 CHSAA championship in New York as a freshman, but the Glen Cove native, who had been cut as a junior due to injury and returned to the team as a senior, went unrecruited out of high school. He failed to draw any interest from a Division I program and enrolled at Boston College without any promise of playing college baseball for head coach Mike Gambino.

"Coach Gambino gave me an opportunity," Suozzi said. "He told me he would give me two weeks (with the baseball team), and we didn't know what would happen (beyond that). Then, in week five, I was still there. I played pretty well in the fall, but I wasn't ready yet. So he came to me and told me that he loved having me but that (the roster) had 35 guys, so I couldn't be on that team."

In 2017, BC was a team in transition. The core of the team returned from the prior season's Super Regional run, but the roster couldn't replicate the magic to return to the national tournament. The MLB Draft didn't seem to mind, though, because the Dodgers drafted Donovan Casey in the 20th round. Casey signed, opening up a roster spot for Suozzi to try out again for his sophomore season.

"(Gambino) encouraged me to come back (after the 2017 season)," Suozzi said, "but I was just a lifeguard playing slow pitch softball with my buddies while working out. When sophomore year came around, there was a spot open because of the draft the year before, and I just found a way to stick my way onto the team."

It set Suozzi on a collision course with his professional career. He flourished in Boston College's player development system and worked tirelessly to improve as a player. He went from reserve outfielder to featured player and finished the year hitting .250 with a home run and six RBIs. He earned his first start in April against Pittsburgh and finished with 25 starts; at the end of the month, he went 3-for-5 against Notre Dame, a day that included one of his five extra-base hits.

Suozzi's passion drove him into valued status within the Birdball culture, and the team rewarded him. His teammates elected him as the Sonny Nictakis Memorial Award winner in 2019, changing his number to No. 8 for the season, and he started 35 games between the outfield and designated hitter spot.

He hit .282 with three long balls and 18 RBI, and his 10 other extra-base hits included two triples. He slugged .423 and recorded four RBI on two doubles and a triple against Maine. It was one of four games with three hits on the season, the last of which came in the ACC Semifinals against North Carolina. He earned ACC All-Tournament status, and BC, no longer in transition, missed an NCAA Tournament selection after a selection committee snub.

"I think playing in the ACC is a huge advantage," Suozzi said. "Guys talk about it all the time, but it helps everyone to play in (this league). The ACC and the SEC are the best conferences for baseball, and you're playing against the best guys. It just naturally helps to play against the best to get to the next levels."

It all ended this season when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension and eventual cancellation of all NCAA activities. Still, several Eagles remained eligible for the MLB Draft, though expectations changed when the owners shifted to an abbreviated format.

The normal format would feature thousands of picks across 40 rounds of baseball, but 2020 shifted to just over 150 picks across five rounds. Prospects who normally would have earned slot bonuses in the sixth or 10th round instead converted into undrafted free agents. A former walk-on, regardless of his success, would turn into a fringe player without any hope of snagging a contract.

Then came this weekend and a phone call thanks in part to Mets scout John Kosciak. Kosciak, a revered veteran scout for more than 40 years, earned a Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame induction in 2015 and was responsible for scouting both George Springer and Nick Tropeano.

That call changed Suozzi's life. The son of Glen Cove's former mayor and current United States congressman was no longer just a fan of the New York Mets. He signed on Monday night, officially starting a professional career nobody saw coming.

"I was on the highway when I got the phone call," Suozzi said. "I pulled over right away because I legitimately would've been in an accident if I kept driving. I was in a residential area, and I just started tearing up right in front of some random person's house. I called Coach Gambino right away, and I just thanked him for everything."

Major League Baseball is in the midst of some dark days. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of its regular season, and the current situation is tinged with pessimism. That's a reality impossible to ignore because of its impact on Minor League Baseball and affiliated franchises.

But amidst the darkness, frustration, and sadness, there's a story of a boy who harbored a dream to play for his hometown team. A New Yorker - a Mets fan - grew up on Long Island with a love for baseball and chased it down with unabashed determination. He wound up in a program with the right player development system and a long history of high-end draft pick prospects. He struck the iron at the right time and came out on the other end as a professional baseball player for his hometown team.

Players Mentioned

Donovan Casey

Joe Suozzi

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