Zach Thornton Stats & Scouting Report

IP	41
ERA	4.39
WHIP	1.54
BB/9	3.51
SO/9	7.02

Full name Zachary Charles Thornton
Born 01/17/2002 in Winona, MN
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 170 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Grand Canyon
Drafted in the 5th round (159th overall) by the New York Mets in 2023 (signed for $350,000).

View Draft Report

School: Grand Canyon Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.5
BA Grade:45/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 50. Slider: 55. Curveball: 50. Changeup: 50. Control: 60.

Thornton has been one of the biggest risers in the 2023 draft since transferring to Grand Canyon from Barton (Kan.) JC. He had a fantastic season as the Friday night starter for the Lopes’ and has a strong foundation of command with a high-waisted and super projectable, 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame. He posted a 3.87 ERA over 15 starts and 88.1 innings, with a 24.3% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk rate. Thornton works out of a high, three-quarter slot and creates deception with a bit of funk and an up-tempo delivery. There’s not much muscle on his fastball just yet, and he averaged 90 mph on the pitch this spring, while touching 94. He does spot the pitch consistently for strikes, and has paired it with a two-plane breaking slider in the low 80s and an 11-to-5 curveball in the mid 70s with big depth. He’s also mixed in a low-80s changeup with slight dropping action that looks like another quality pitch, but he used it just 4% of the time this spring. Thornton needs more power to his game, but he has great starting traits, above-average command and a physical frame to dream on for a team confident in its ability to train velocity.

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Draft Prospects

School: Grand Canyon Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.5
BA Grade:45/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 50. Slider: 55. Curveball: 50. Changeup: 50. Control: 60.

Thornton has been one of the biggest risers in the 2023 draft since transferring to Grand Canyon from Barton (Kan.) JC. He had a fantastic season as the Friday night starter for the Lopes’ and has a strong foundation of command with a high-waisted and super projectable, 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame. He posted a 3.87 ERA over 15 starts and 88.1 innings, with a 24.3% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk rate. Thornton works out of a high, three-quarter slot and creates deception with a bit of funk and an up-tempo delivery. There’s not much muscle on his fastball just yet, and he averaged 90 mph on the pitch this spring, while touching 94. He does spot the pitch consistently for strikes, and has paired it with a two-plane breaking slider in the low 80s and an 11-to-5 curveball in the mid 70s with big depth. He’s also mixed in a low-80s changeup with slight dropping action that looks like another quality pitch, but he used it just 4% of the time this spring. Thornton needs more power to his game, but he has great starting traits, above-average command and a physical frame to dream on for a team confident in its ability to train velocity.