Lewis Thorpe
| IP | 74.2 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.3 |
| WHIP | 1.67 |
| BB/9 | 4.46 |
| SO/9 | 9.64 |
- Full name Lewis James Thorpe
- Born 11/23/1995 in Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 218 / Bats: R / Throws: L
- Debut 06/30/2019
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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TRACK RECORD: Considered one of the best amateur baseball prospects in Australian history, Thorpe's career was derailed when Tommy John surgery followed by mononucleosis cost him all of 2015 and 2016. When he returned in 2017, his velocity had diminished but not enough to keep him from making his big league debut in 2019.
SCOUTING REPORT: No longer a fireballer, Thorpe now relies on above-average command and some deception to make his average, 89-93 mph fastball effective. His best weapon is a plus slider that he can manipulate into behaving like a cutter. He can tighten it and make is a hard high-80s cutter and he can also throw a bigger, sweepier slider that he locates well to the bottom corner of the strike zone glove-side. His below-average mid-80s changeup and below-average mid-70s curveball are best used in small doses.
THE FUTURE: Thorpe has consistently picked up strikeouts in the minors thanks to his slider, but like Devin Smeltzer and Randy Dobnak, he's a back-of-the-rotation arm. There's likely room for one of them in the rotation, but it's hard to see all three fitting at the same time. -
Track Record: Thorpe got his career fully rolling after missing two full seasons in the wake of Tommy John surgery in April 2015 and a bout of mononucleosis in 2016. Back on the mound, he reached Futures Game in 2018 and later Triple-A Rochester as well. Signed for $500,000, the richest Australian bonus in the 2012-13 international class, Thorpe added two inches and 35 pounds in his first two pro seasons.
Scouting Report: Thorpe’s fastball sits at 89-92 mph and touches 94, but it plays up due to angle and carry with some deception. His cutter/slider is 85-87 mph, allowing him to chew up lefties when he’s on. He continues to improve his changeup and he also has a 12-to-6 curve.
The Future: Once considered a potential mid-rotation starter, Thorpe has been knocked down a couple of pegs to a fourth-starter projection. To get there, he must figure out how to pitch backwards more often. -
Having missed two full seasons following Tommy John surgery in April 2015 and a bout of mononucleosis in 2016, the burly Australian began to put his career back on track in 2017. After adding two inches and 35 pounds in his first two years after signing, Thorpe hasn't quite reclaimed the velocity that once saw his fastball touch 96-97 mph regularly. He still works at 91-94 mph and did show decent command out of his three-quarters slot with his changeup, which has good sink and fade and projects as a second plus pitch. He also has a tight slider with good depth and a 12-to-6 curve he learned from countryman Travis Blackley. Both breaking pitches have the potential to at least be average, allowing him to hold lefties to a .280 OBP last season and average better than a strikeout per inning for his career. After pushing his 2017 innings total close to 100, including extended spring training, Thorpe was added to the 40-man roster for the first time after being exposed to the Rule 5 draft the previous offseason. He projects as a back-end starter but must watch his conditioning and off-field habits. -
The Twins signed Thorpe out of Australia for $500,000 in 2012 and still believe in his upside, but so far they haven't gotten much return on their investment. He made a strong debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2013, but he was shut down late in 2014 with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. After tearing the ligament the next spring, Thorpe missed all of 2015 while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. His rehab hit two snags in 2016 when he tweaked his knee after dealing with a bout of mononucleosis. The result: a second consecutive lost year. When healthy, Thorpe has shown stuff the Twins believe could play in the middle of a rotation. The Australian lefthander has a four-pitch mix, fronted by a mid-90s fastball and a potentially plus changeup with sink and fade, and he's shown the feel to spin a slider and curveball, both of which could be average or better. The issue has been getting Thorpe on a mound. He will likely start throwing in the spring and begin the season in extended spring training before continuing on with a full-season club. Thorpe has No. 3 starter ceiling, but maintaining his health is imperative after he missed each of the last two seasons with injury. -
Temporarily knocked off the fast track by Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow in April 2015, Thorpe continues to possess a high ceiling. Signed for $500,000 out of Australia, Thorpe wowed in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in his first pro season and later dominated Team USA at the 18U World Championships in Taiwan. After adding 35 pounds in the first two years after signing, Thorpe had plenty of strength on his 6-foot-2 frame and plenty of believers within the organization. His strikeout rate was down and his walk rate soared (4.5 batters per nine innings) in 2014 in the Midwest League. A sprained ulnar collateral ligament bumped him from the playoff rotation, but the Twins opted for a course of rest and rehab. His mid-90s fastball had returned by last spring when he tore his UCL. At this stage of his career, a year to focus on streamlining his body probably wasn't the worst thing for Thorpe. His changeup has good sink and fade and could be a second plus pitch. He also throws a slicing slider and a downer curve, and both pitches should be at least average. Provided he has no setbacks, Thorpe should reach high Class A Fort Myers by the early stages of 2016. -
Thorpe signed for $500,000 out of Australia in 2012, then ripped through the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2013. Adding 35 pounds in the first two years after signing gave Thorpe more strength to pack on his 6-foot-2 frame. His fastball sat 91-93 mph in 2014, showing sneaky late action. His changeup has good sink and fade and profiles as a potential second plus pitch. His slider will slice through the zone in the high 70s, while his curveball has good down action. Both can be average offerings at worst. Control was an issue in 2014 for Thorpe, who walked 4.5 batters per nine innings. However, the southpaw's strikeout rate jumped noticeably--73 punchouts in 54 innings--after July 1. He should begin 2015 at high Class A Fort Myers. -
Some international scouts considered Thorpe the best prospect in years to emerge from Australia, and the Twins signed him for $500,000 in 2012. Armed with a confidence beyond his years, he wasted little time justifying the Twins' faith and blew through the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2013. Now pushing 6-foot-2, 215 pounds with long arms, Thorpe has added at least 35 pounds since signing. He shows command of all four pitches with a disdain for issuing walks. That's a change from his amateur days, when control was a problem. His fastball has jumped from the mid-80s as an amateur to 89-90 mph in the GCL, where he touched 94 mph. That velocity looks even faster thanks to the sneaky late action on his fastball. Thorpe's changeup, thrown with sink and fade, is his No. 2 pitch and has the potential to be a plus weapon. His slider tends to slice through the zone while his curveball is a classic spinner with good down action. Thorpe logged time in the Australian Baseball League as he prepares for a 2013 assignment to low Class A Cedar Rapids, where he should be among the youngest in the league. If he continues to progress, Thorpe could put himself on the fast track, even with a famously cautious organization. He projects as a mid-rotation starter.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Some international scouts considered Thorpe the best prospect to come out of Australia in years when the Twins signed him last year for $500,000, and he pitched even better than advertised in his pro debut. Thorpe led the GCL with 64 strikeouts, then left the team at the end of August to pitch for Australia in the 18U World Championships in Taiwan. Pitching against the United States, Thorpe struck out eight with no walks in 5 2/3 shutout innings in Team USA?s only loss. When Thorpe signed, he sat at 86-88 mph and touched 91 with long arms, but he?s grown an inch and added 55 pounds, which helped his fastball tick upward. He pitched at 88-93 mph in the GCL, then in Taiwan he touched 95. Even when he was throwing in the high-80s, Thorpe?s fastball was a swing-and-miss pitch because the ball explodes out of his hand and looks quicker than it is with sneaky late action. His changeup, a potential plus pitch, is his most polished offspeed offering with sink and fade. Thorpe?s breaking stuff has developed since he signed, including a slider and a curveball with a lot of spin and downward action. Thorpe racked up a lot of walks as an amateur, but he always had a good delivery and now control looks like it will be a plus for him after walking 1.2 batters per nine innings in the GCL.
Scouting Reports
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TRACK RECORD: Considered one of the best amateur baseball prospects in Australian history, Thorpe’s career was derailed when Tommy John surgery followed by mononucleosis cost him all of 2015 and 2016. When he returned in 2017, his velocity had diminished but not enough to keep him from making his big league debut in 2019.
SCOUTING REPORT: No longer a fireballer, Thorpe now relies on above-average command and some deception to make his average, 89-93 mph fastball effective. His best weapon is a plus slider that he can manipulate into behaving like a cutter. He can tighten it and make is a hard high-80s cutter and he can also throw a bigger, sweepier slider that he locates well to the bottom corner of the strike zone glove-side. His below-average mid-80s changeup and below-average mid-70s curveball are best used in small doses.
THE FUTURE: Thorpe has consistently picked up strikeouts in the minors thanks to his slider, but like Devin Smeltzer and Randy Dobnak, he’s a back-of-the-rotation arm. There’s likely room for one of them in the rotation, but it’s hard to see all three fitting at the same time. BA GRADE 45 Risk: Medium BA GRADE 45 Risk: Medium -
TRACK RECORD: Considered one of the best amateur baseball prospects in Australian history, Thorpe's career was derailed when Tommy John surgery followed by mononucleosis cost him all of 2015 and 2016. When he returned in 2017, his velocity had diminished but not enough to keep him from making his big league debut in 2019.
SCOUTING REPORT: No longer a fireballer, Thorpe now relies on above-average command and some deception to make his average, 89-93 mph fastball effective. His best weapon is a plus slider that he can manipulate into behaving like a cutter. He can tighten it and make is a hard high-80s cutter and he can also throw a bigger, sweepier slider that he locates well to the bottom corner of the strike zone glove-side. His below-average mid-80s changeup and below-average mid-70s curveball are best used in small doses.
THE FUTURE: Thorpe has consistently picked up strikeouts in the minors thanks to his slider, but like Devin Smeltzer and Randy Dobnak, he's a back-of-the-rotation arm. There's likely room for one of them in the rotation, but it's hard to see all three fitting at the same time.
