Drew Thorpe was scheduled to throw five innings during his first appearance in a White Sox uniform on Monday. The day ended with Thorpe having to throw from the White Sox bullpen to build up his pitch count after he failed to make it past the third inning.
The 2023 Pitching Prospect of the Year got tagged for ten hits, eight earned runs, a walk, and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work. Of the ten hits he allowed three of them left the ballpark.
Spring Training results can be taken with a grain of salt. But Monday’s performance against a Guardians lineup that was missing a bulk of their primary starters left is one Thorpe would like to soon forget. He faced 19 batters and struggled with command. That’s something a pitcher who throws a low 90s fastball and relies on a changeup can’t afford.
“It’s baseball. Shit happens,” Thorpe said after the game.
It was his first game since getting traded from the Padres in a deal that made him the top pitching prospect in a package for Dylan Cease. It marked his second time being traded in three months after the Yankees moved him in the Juan Soto deal. Before the trade with the White Sox Thorpe had thrown seven scoreless innings for the Padres in Spring Training.
Being traded twice in a year is the type of thing that can affect a young player’s confidence. Especially one who is the No. 85 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. Thorpe posted a 2.52 ERA in 139.1 innings across High-A and Double-A last season. He also limited opponents to a .200 batting average and struck out 182 batters while surrendering 38 walks.
He is now considered the White Sox’s No. 3 prospect and has the added pressure of being the headliner in the return for Cease. Cease was a fan favorite and easily the most talented pitcher in the White Sox rotation over the past several years. Those are big shoes to fill. While Thorpe was brought in to help replace Cease, his style of pitching is closer to Lucas Giolito.
Thorpe’s best pitch is a devastating low-80s changeup. It is one of the main reasons he was an All-American at Cal Poly in 2022 and set a school record with 149 strikeouts. His fastball is graded by scouts as his weakest pitch. It tops out at 95 mph and will not be overpowering any professional hitters anytime soon. Thorpe makes up for that with good command and a serviceable slider to help keep hitters off balance.
But Monday’s outing was a perfect blueprint of what Thorpe can’t afford to do on the mound. He was missing his spots with his fastball and the Guardians made him pay.
Jim Callis of MLB.com considers him the most advanced pitcher in the White Sox system. He is viewed as a long-term middle-of-the-rotation guy who can pound the strike zone and eat up innings. Thorpe failed to accomplish either of those things on Monday but is eager to get back on the mound and prove why the White Sox were wise to invest in him.
“You never want it to go that way,” Thorpe told the Chicago Sun-Times. “It happened. It’s over with. Just get to the next one.”
