Renegades' Thorpe brings the heat in 12-K start

Even with Anthony Volpe recently graduated, the Yankees’ farm system right now is known for its position player talent, with top-ranked prospect Jasson Domínguez headlining a crop whose five best-rated prospects per MLB Pipeline are exciting young hitters. But the system has some arms, too.

That’s becoming super obvious at High-A Hudson Valley, where No. 6 prospect Drew Thorpe continues to turn heads in his pro debut. The Yankees’ second-round pick in the 2022 Draft, Thorpe followed up eight innings of one-hit ball in his last outing with an arguably more dominant performance Sunday, striking out 12 over seven shutout innings in the Renegades' 1-0 win over Jersey Shore.

Supported with a first-inning run, Thorpe made it stand by not walking a batter, scattering five hits and finishing strong, whiffing five of his last nine hitters. The 22-year-old righty hasn’t allowed a run in his last 17 ⅔ innings dating back to May 28, with 22 strikeouts and only two walks in that span.

Drew Thorpe with another PHENOMENAL Start

7.0 IP // 5 H // 0 R // 0 BB // 12 K // 92 pitches, 62 strikes. Setting a new franchise record for strikeouts in a game (since 2005). 🔥🔥🔥

His combined line from his last two starts:
15.0 IP // 6 H // 0 R // 2 BB // 19 K

UNFAIR. 💎 pic.twitter.com/ghLu5Fuq13

— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) June 11, 2023

“Today my stuff felt really good,” Thorpe told MLB.com. “I felt I was able to mix well with everything and get ahead in counts. Did something different with each guy throughout each of their at-bats and was able to keep them off balance for the most part.”

That is precisely the kind of polish the Yankees hoped to see from Thorpe, who was seen as one of the safer pitching bets in his Draft class after two seasons as Cal Poly’s No. 1 starter and earning a consensus All-America nod as a junior. Thorpe’s calling cards are his changeup and his pitchability, and scouts loved his advanced feel for pitching and ability to sequence and locate his pitches ahead of last summer’s Draft. All of which made the Yankees excited for his ‘23 pro debut after signing him for $1,187,600 as the 61st overall pick.

He’s lived up to the billing in his first 10 starts at Hudson Valley, completing at least five innings in eight of 10 and at least six innings in five of his last seven. All told, he’s pitched to a 2.91 ERA and 71-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first 58 ⅔ professional innings.