Son Of U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi Overcomes Injuries To Sign With Mets

GLEN COVE, NY — Joe Suozzi, son of U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, signed with the New York Mets following a long road that included injuries and even being cut from his high school team. The congressman announced this week his son was one of a handful of players to sign with the team this year after the MLB draft was shortened from 40 rounds to five.

"We are so proud of our son Joe," Tom Suozzi wrote in a Facebook post announcing the news. "Last night he 'signed' the papers to become a member of the New York Mets!!"

Joe Suozzi told Newsday it was a "pinch-yourself moment."

"Everything in my room is Mets stuff — David Wright posters, Pete Alonso — so it really is a dream come true," Joe Suozzi said.

The elder Suozzi, who served as the mayor of Glen Cove and Nassau County executive before becoming a congressman, said his son had a "long journey" leading to his signing. Tom Suozzi called it a "dream come true" for the family.

"The road was long with many highs and lows, but Joe has been focused on succeeding and has put in the hard work his entire life," Tom Suozzi wrote. "From throwing a ball against the wall as a little boy, to swinging the bat 10s of thousands of times, to overcoming several serious injuries, Joe has persevered where most would have given up."

Part of the journey included a broken wrist that Joe Suozzi suffered during his sophomore year at Chaminade High School in Mineola.

"Yikes, that was scary," the congressman said.

The following year, he broke his elbow and was cut from the team. During his senior year, he played for Chaminade again and was named Most Improved Player, though no college recruited him for baseball.

Joe Suozzi went on to attend Boston College, and while he didn't make the team the first year, he tried to walk on again as a sophomore, following a growth spurt that took him to nearly 200 pounds and 6-feet-2-inches. The hard-nosed younger Suozzi again suffered an injury, this time dislocating his shoulder and tearing his labrum while sliding head-first into third base. Not to be deterred, he earned a spot on the team anyway.

As a junior, Joe Suozzi adjusted his swing and approach at the plate, leading to him batting .500 in the ACC tournament and being named to the ACC All Tournament Team. Then as a senior, he was named captain by his teammates and coaches, hit in the cleanup spot in the lineup and batted over .400 before the coronavirus ended the season early.

"Everyone has been through so much," Tom Suozzi said. "Joseph Anthony Suozzi, named after my dad, is an inspiration to us all. God blessed him with talent, but without his hard work and perseverance when things looked bleak, he would have never made it to the point that he is now going to play for the organization we have cheered on all our lives."

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OFFICIAL. Long Island’s own is staying home... @jsuozzi signs free agent contract with New York Mets. . . . #Birdball
A post shared by Boston College Baseball (@bcbirdball) on Jun 15, 2020 at 6:14pm PDT