Yankees minor-league report: Drew Thorpe
April 16, 2023 - Drew Thorpe - Hudson Valley Renegades vs Aberdeen Ironbirds Credit: Dave Janosz/Dave Janosz
Player: Drew Thorpe.
Age: 22 (born Oct. 1, 2000).
Team: Somerset (Eastern League).
Position: RHP.
Bats/throws: L/R.
Height/weight: 6-4 /190.
Acquired: 2022 Amateur draft, Round 2, 61st pick.
Background: The Utah native attended Cal Poly University from 2020-2022, where he pitched to a 3.03 ERA in 223 innings. In 2022, he posted a 2.32 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP, and held opposing hitters to a .175 batting average in 104 2/3 innings. Thorpe’s 149 strikeouts that season set a new school record and ranked second most among all NCAA Division I pitchers. He was selected by the Yankees that summer and signed for $1.18 million.
2023 update: Thorpe made his professional debut at High-A Hudson Valley in April and was promoted to AA-Somerset on Tuesday. Through 117 innings in 19 starts, he has an 11-2 record, 2.62 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 147 strikeouts. He was named the South Atlantic League’s Pitcher of the Month for June and was Player of the Week for the weeks of May 29 – June 4 and July 17 – 23. In his start against Brooklyn on July 22, Thorpe set a franchise record with 13 strikeouts, as well as breaking the franchise’s single-season records in strikeouts and wins. In his Somerset debut on Friday, he struck out nine and allowed two hits in eight scoreless innings.
What he’s saying: “Things are just going well. I found a rhythm and continued to build off of each start. I’ve just been trusting myself and having confidence that my stuff is better than the hitters I’m facing. Sticking to my strengths, continuing to develop each week, and taking different bits and pieces from each outing and adding it onto the next has been the key.”
Scouting report: The Yankees No. 5 prospect features a fastball that sits in the low-90’s but can reach 95 mph, as well as a mid-80’s slider. Thorpe’s best pitch is his deceptive 81-84 mph changeup, which has great fade and plays well off his fastball. He has great command of all three pitches and uses each of them to put hitters away. His delivery is easily repeatable, with a short arm path that's comparable to the Guardian's Shane Bieber.
On command: “Growing up without the high velocity, I had to learn how to command and pitch to get hitters out. So, I’ve always been a command guy since I was younger and I definitely think it helps me get through outings.”
On mechanics: “I was a position player in high school and I didn’t really start pitching until my junior year. So, being a position player and having that short-arm throwing motion, I kind of just took it over to the mound and it’s worked.”
Probable MLB promotion: 2025.
