The White Sox plan to promote top prospects Drew Thorpe in the majors on Tuesday, manager Pedro Grifol told reporters (including James Fegan of the SoxMachine). The right-hander will make his MLB debut against the Mariners in Seattle.
Thorpe, 23, was the headliner of a four-player package the White Sox acquired from the Padres in a deal that sent the ace righty. Dylan Cease to San Diego back in March. It was the second time Thorpe had been traded that season, as the Padres acquired Thorpe from the Yankees as part of the team. Juan Soto package back in December. As one would expect from a prospect who was part of the comeback of two superstars in different blockbusters in the same season, Thorpe is the consensus prospect of 100 in the sport. The righty is currently ranked #41 by Baseball America and #54 by MLB Pipeline.
Prospect scouting services universally praise Thorpe’s excellent command, ability to eat up innings, and a devastating changeup that he combines with a 92-94 mph fastball that is generally considered average and an average or better slider that sits in the mid-80s. Besides his three main pitches, BA also notes that Thorpe mixes in a high-80s cutter and a low-80s curveball. That arsenal allowed the 2022 second baseman to tear through the minors in his first taste of professional ball with the Yankees last year. Thorpe dominated to the tune of a 2.81 ERA with a 32.4% strikeout rate in 18 starts at High-A last year before earning a postseason promotion to Double-A.
Thorpe’s star really began to rise with that promotion. The then-22-year-old impressed with a sparkling 1.48 ERA through five starts. The righty has collected 44 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings of work while walking just five. Striking out 40% of the batters he faced while walking just 4.5% in your first taste of Double-A action is a surefire way to get a lot of attention, so it’s no surprise that both the Padres and White Sox front offices wanted Thorpe enough to make him a it is an important part of the trade returns of their famous players.
Upon joining the White Sox organization, the right-hander returned to Double-A for the start of the 2024 campaign and has continued to dominate hitters at the level, with consistent numbers in his career-high 11 starts this season in his first five starts. for Double-A last year. Thorpe has pitched to a 1.35 ERA in 60 innings this year, although his strikeout rate has dropped to a pedestrian 25% this year while his walk rate has risen to 7.6%. Even with those diminished peripherals, however, Thorpe has proven to be very capable at the Double-A level and is thought to be in line for a promotion in the near future.
What’s surprising, then, isn’t so much the promotion as it is that he’ll skip Triple-A entirely and jump into big league action. White Sox right-hander Nick Nastrini to children earlier today, which left gaps in the first exchange that were lost Mike Clevinger in the list of injured and now only features Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Chris Flexenagain Jonathan Cannon. Rather than calling a veteran at the Triple-A level like Chad Kuhl or Touki Toussaint To fill out the rotation, the White Sox will turn to Thorpe in a bold move to get a taste of big league action.
It is a decision that could come with financial problems for Thorpe, as he will be in a good position to get a fourth year of arbitration as a Super Two player if he continues with the big club going forward without returning to the minor clubs. Arguably, Thorpe could get himself a full season of career time by finishing in the top 2 in AL Rookie of the Year voting this season, though that would be surprising given the huge head start young players are given. Luis Gil of the Yankees and Mason Miller the A’s have been dominant in the majors all season.
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