Drew Thorpe has only made four MLB starts but the early returns are promising. On Friday the White Sox No. 3 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 53 overall prospect tossed six innings of two-run ball, earning his second consecutive quality start en route to a 5-3 victory over the Rockies at Guaranteed Rate Field. It also marked his second consecutive start where he emerged as the winning pitcher.
The win didn’t come without a little adversity. The first pitch was delayed just over two hours by rain. After allowing a leadoff single to Brenton Doyle, Thorpe responded by retiring 16 consecutive hitters. His streak was snapped when Sam Hillard drew a one-out walk in the sixth inning. That was the only free pass that Thorpe would issue all night. However, it turned out to be a costly one. Doyle sent a poorly placed changeup 426 feet for a two-run homer.
As Thorpe walked off the mound for the final time after recording the final out of the sixth inning he had allowed just two runs on two hits with four strikeouts. The White Sox offense ensured his efforts were rewarded by stringing together a five-run inning thanks to RBI singles from Paul DeJong and Tommy Pham and an RBI ground out from Korey Lee.
Thorpe only needed 88 pitches to make it through six innings. Of those 88 pitches, he threw 59 of them for strikes. He attacked the Rockies with a bevy of fastballs and changeups. The 6’11” right-hander threw a game-high 38 fastballs and drew 15 swings and two whiffs. Rockies hitters saw Thorpe’s changeup 32 times which resulted in 21 swings and eight whiffs.
The fastball-changeup combo has been his bread and butter all season. In four starts opponents have just a 2.2% barrel percentage against him. But while he was able to navigate the Rockies lineup on 40 percent fastballs, he may need to incorporate his slider and cutter more as teams begin to get more tape on him and adjust.
On Friday night he threw his slider just eight times, cutter six, and sweeper four. In his previous start against the Tigers, he threw his changeup 38 times, four-seam fastball 37 times slider 12 times, and cutter just five times.
Luckily for the White Sox, Thorpe has shown maturity and level-headedness on the mound so far. The question is quickly will he be able to adjust once hitters begin to learn his tendencies?
