Connor Thomas Stats & Scouting Report

IP	10.1
ERA	5.23
WHIP	1.16
BB/9	2.61
SO/9	8.71

Full name Sidney Connor Thomas
Born 05/29/1998 in Tifton, GA
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 173 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Georgia Tech
Drafted in the 5th round (155th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019 (signed for $340,000).

View Draft Report

A 2018 member of the All ACC first team after a 2018 season in which he struck out 106 batters while walking just 10, Thomas has exceptional command of a solid repertoire of pitches. While his fastball is a below-average offering that sits in the 86-89 mph range, Thomas has a plus slider and an above-average changeup that he uses to get plenty of swings and misses. There’s reason to wonder what his stuff will play like against better competition, and he did allow almost ten hits per nine innings this spring, but his 60-grade command could make him an exciting pick late on day two or on day three. There’s not much to project on with Thomas, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 173-pounds.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium

Track Record: Thomas pitched three years at Georgia Tech and emerged as its top starter as a junior, leading the Cardinals to draft him in the fifth round in 2019 and signed him for $340,000. After briefly appearing in the short-season leagues in his debut, Thomas jumped straight to Double-A out of the pandemic and quickly moved to Triple-A. Thomas returned to Memphis in 2022 and spent the entire year in the Redbirds rotation, then led the Arizona Fall League in strikeouts after the season.

Scouting Report: Thomas is a pitchability lefty almost to an extreme. His fastball sat 85-87 mph as an amateur and has ticked up marginally to now sit 88-91 mph and touch 93. He shows two different fastballs shapes with a four-seamer and a sinker, using his sinker especially against lefties. Thomas secondaries consist of an average, low-to-mid-80s slider, a fringy mid-80s changeup and a below-average cutter. He has above-average control of his entire arsenal and effectively locates all of his pitches to help them play up. He has a good feel for sequencing and lasts deep into his starts.

The Future: Thomas' varied arsenal, control and feel for pitching give him a chance to emerge as a No. 5 starter. He has a chance to settle in as a swingman or depth starter even if he doesn't reach that ceiling.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40. Slider 50. Changeup 45. Cutter: 40. Control: 55.
Track Record: The 2019 fifth-rounder from Georgia Tech arrived in the short-season New York-Penn League after signing, making five appearances (two starts) before a promotion to Low-A Peoria. He spent the 2020 shutdown at home and made his upper minors debut in 2021. Thomas made four starts at Double-A Springfield before the Cardinals sent him to Triple-A Memphis, where he pitched to a 6-4, 3.10 mark while showing impressive command of his three-pitch mix.

Scouting Report: Thomas won’t wow anyone with his arsenal, which includes two fastball variations that sit 90-91 mph. One is a below-average offering, while the other has natural sinking life and is an average pitch. His plus command allows his stuff to play up. Thomas pairs his fastballs with a plus slider and an above-average changeup. He induces ground balls with all of his pitches, with a 50% or higher groundball rate on each offering. Coming out of college there were concerns that Thomas’ modest arsenal would cause him to struggle against better competition, but he’s pitched well at every stop in the minor leagues. In addition to having plus command, Thomas has above-average control.

The Future: Thomas could be in line to make his major league debut after conquering Triple-A in 2021. He’ll likely never be a full-time starter, but he provides value as a long reliever and spot starter.

Draft Prospects

A 2018 member of the All ACC first team after a 2018 season in which he struck out 106 batters while walking just 10, Thomas has exceptional command of a solid repertoire of pitches. While his fastball is a below-average offering that sits in the 86-89 mph range, Thomas has a plus slider and an above-average changeup that he uses to get plenty of swings and misses. There's reason to wonder what his stuff will play like against better competition, and he did allow almost ten hits per nine innings this spring, but his 60-grade command could make him an exciting pick late on day two or on day three. There's not much to project on with Thomas, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 173-pounds.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium

Track Record: Thomas pitched three years at Georgia Tech and emerged as its top starter as a junior, leading the Cardinals to draft him in the fifth round in 2019 and signed him for $340,000. After briefly appearing in the short-season leagues in his debut, Thomas jumped straight to Double-A out of the pandemic and quickly moved to Triple-A. Thomas returned to Memphis in 2022 and spent the entire year in the Redbirds rotation, then led the Arizona Fall League in strikeouts after the season.

Scouting Report: Thomas is a pitchability lefty almost to an extreme. His fastball sat 85-87 mph as an amateur and has ticked up marginally to now sit 88-91 mph and touch 93. He shows two different fastballs shapes with a four-seamer and a sinker, using his sinker especially against lefties. Thomas secondaries consist of an average, low-to-mid-80s slider, a fringy mid-80s changeup and a below-average cutter. He has above-average control of his entire arsenal and effectively locates all of his pitches to help them play up. He has a good feel for sequencing and lasts deep into his starts.

The Future: Thomas' varied arsenal, control and feel for pitching give him a chance to emerge as a No. 5 starter. He has a chance to settle in as a swingman or depth starter even if he doesn't reach that ceiling.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40. Slider 50. Changeup 45. Cutter: 40. Control: 55.
BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium

Track Record: Thomas pitched three years at Georgia Tech and emerged as its top starter as a junior, leading the Cardinals to draft him in the fifth round in 2019 and signed him for $340,000. After briefly appearing in the short-season leagues in his debut, Thomas jumped straight to Double-A out of the pandemic and quickly moved to Triple-A. Thomas returned to Memphis in 2022 and spent the entire year in the Redbirds rotation, then led the Arizona Fall League in strikeouts after the season.

Scouting Report: Thomas is a pitchability lefty almost to an extreme. His fastball sat 85-87 mph as an amateur and has ticked up marginally to now sit 88-91 mph and touch 93. He shows two different fastballs shapes with a four-seamer and a sinker, using his sinker especially against lefties. Thomas secondaries consist of an average, low-to-mid-80s slider, a fringy mid-80s changeup and a below-average cutter. He has above-average control of his entire arsenal and effectively locates all of his pitches to help them play up. He has a good feel for sequencing and lasts deep into his starts.

The Future: Thomas' varied arsenal, control and feel for pitching give him a chance to emerge as a No. 5 starter. He has a chance to settle in as a swingman or depth starter even if he doesn't reach that ceiling.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40. Slider 50. Changeup 45. Cutter: 40. Control: 55.
BA Grade: 40/High

Track Record: The 2019 fifth-rounder from Georgia Tech arrived in the short-season New York-Penn League after signing, making five appearances (two starts) before a promotion to Low-A Peoria. He spent the 2020 shutdown at home and made his upper minors debut in 2021. Thomas made four starts at Double-A Springfield before the Cardinals sent him to Triple-A Memphis, where he pitched to a 6-4, 3.10 mark while showing impressive command of his three-pitch mix.

Scouting Report: Thomas won&#39t wow anyone with his arsenal, which includes two fastball variations that sit 90-91 mph. One is a below-average offering, while the other has natural sinking life and is an average pitch. His plus command allows his stuff to play up. Thomas pairs his fastballs with a plus slider and an above-average changeup. He induces ground balls with all of his pitches, with a 50% or higher groundball rate on each offering. Coming out of college there were concerns that Thomas&#39 modest arsenal would cause him to struggle against better competition, but he&#39s pitched well at every stop in the minor leagues. In addition to having plus command, Thomas has above-average control.

The Future: Thomas could be in line to make his major league debut after conquering Triple-A in 2021. He&#39ll likely never be a full-time starter, but he provides value as a long reliever and spot starter.
Track Record: The 2019 fifth-rounder from Georgia Tech arrived in the short-season New York-Penn League after signing, making five appearances (two starts) before a promotion to Low-A Peoria. He spent the 2020 shutdown at home and made his upper minors debut in 2021. Thomas made four starts at Double-A Springfield before the Cardinals sent him to Triple-A Memphis, where he pitched to a 6-4, 3.10 mark while showing impressive command of his three-pitch mix.

Scouting Report: Thomas won’t wow anyone with his arsenal, which includes two fastball variations that sit 90-91 mph. One is a below-average offering, while the other has natural sinking life and is an average pitch. His plus command allows his stuff to play up. Thomas pairs his fastballs with a plus slider and an above-average changeup. He induces ground balls with all of his pitches, with a 50% or higher groundball rate on each offering. Coming out of college there were concerns that Thomas’ modest arsenal would cause him to struggle against better competition, but he’s pitched well at every stop in the minor leagues. In addition to having plus command, Thomas has above-average control.

The Future: Thomas could be in line to make his major league debut after conquering Triple-A in 2021. He’ll likely never be a full-time starter, but he provides value as a long reliever and spot starter.
A 2018 member of the All ACC first team after a 2018 season in which he struck out 106 batters while walking just 10, Thomas has exceptional command of a solid repertoire of pitches. While his fastball is a below-average offering that sits in the 86-89 mph range, Thomas has a plus slider and an above-average changeup that he uses to get plenty of swings and misses. There's reason to wonder what his stuff will play like against better competition, and he did allow almost ten hits per nine innings this spring, but his 60-grade command could make him an exciting pick late on day two or on day three. There's not much to project on with Thomas, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 173-pounds.