Drew Thorpe may be playing for the lowly Chicago White Sox, but the young pitcher is showing why he may be a big part of the team’s future.
A former top prospect in the Yankees farm system, Thorpe was shipped to San Diego as part of the trade that returned outfielder Juan Soto in December of 2023. The Padres, then, dealt the righty to Chicago for ace Dylan Cease as part of a four-player swap during spring training on March 13.
After shaking off a rough start in the majors, Thorpe has been on a hot streak, rattling off four straight quality starts while holding opposing teams to three hits or fewer in all four starts. After giving up 10 runs in starts to Seattle and Arizona in June, Thorpe has lowered his ERA to 3.58, giving up just five runs in his next four starts.
RESTORING THE GLORY
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Thorpe, 23, took a no-decision after giving up two runs on three hits Wednesday when the White Sox dropped a 3-2 loss to Minnesota in the second game of a double-header. He threw just 76 pitches but surrendered back-to-back home runs with one out in the sixth, ending the sixth start.
“I’d take that pretty much every day,” Thorpe said after the game. “Mixed around. They were super aggressive. Pitch count was really low (76). They were swinging a lot early, a lot of weak contact. It was overall pretty solid.”
The Yankees selected Thorpe in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft with the No. 61 overall pick, and in 2023, he split time between the High–A Hudson Valley Renegades and Double–A Somerset Patriots. Between both teams, he posted a 2.52 ERA with 182 strikeouts over 139 ⅓ innings. He made 18 starts at the High-A level before earning a promotion to Double-A, where he made five more starts.
Baseball America ranked Thorpe the Yankees’ No. 8 prospect in 2023, and in 2024, he slots in at No. 3 in the Chicago organization.
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