As the prospect lists are published this off-season, the prospect who looks to have gained the most notoriety since the middle of last summer is pitcher Riley Thompson.
The Cubs took Thompson in the 2018 draft out of University of Louisville. After struggling as a starter his freshman year in college, Thompson was moved to the bullpen where he thrived for the Cardinals. As a pro, the Cubs took Thompson and quickly turned him back into a starter. In just two summers, he has skyrocketed from an 11th round pick into one of the Cubs top pitching prospects.
After signing, the Cubs slowly worked Thompson into the rotation at Eugene by slowly increasing his innings. By the end of 2018, he was up to five innings a start. He was part of that Eugene championship team and was assigned to South Bend to begin 2019.
Thompson came out of the gate hot to begin his first full season as a starter in 2019 and never let off the gas in the first half. He was named a Midwest League All-Star. When I saw him pitch in Clinton Iowa in early May, I was impressed with his competitive fire and tenacity on the mound.
For most of the summer, Thompson put up monthly ERA splits of 1.42, 3.24, 1.80, 4.18, 4.76. It wasn’t until July that he faced his first bout of adversity. How would he handle it? Considering he hadn’t pitched this many innings in a season before, there was some concern about wear and tear on his arm as he worked to regain his command in the late summer.
Here is some video I took of Thompson from behind plate in late July. He looked pretty good that day striking out 7 in 5 IP.
However, come the playoffs, Thompson ratcheted it up another gear including a five inning no-hit 10 K performance in the championship game against Clinton. Sitting next to the dugout taking pictures, I failed to grasp that he was throwing a no-hitter in the first couple of innings. All I knew was that Thompson was striking almost everybody out. It wasn’t until I looked at the box score online in the fourth inning that I realized that Clinton did not have a hit. It was a masterpiece of a game.
He’s cleaned up his delivery significantly, especially in his upper body actions, but it’s still something that may not be conducive to a starter long-term.
On the hill, Riley features a fastball that can bump triple digits in short stints and sits 94-96 on the mound. He has a high-spin curve that is a plus pitch at least. His change is still something he’s getting a feel for due to lack of playing time to use it in college, so that will be the key for him. With his long arms, he could be an ideal candidate for a split-change or a cutter as his third pitch rather than utilizing a true change.
In getting to see Thompson several times last year, it was cool to see his growth and maturation. Coming into 2020, I am looking forward to seeing what Thompson learned from last summer and if the Cubs actually move him along quickly to Tennessee if he comes out of the gate throwing well. The biggest challenge Thompson faces this summer is that it is now pretty crowded for starting spots at Tennessee and Iowa. He is really going to have to stand out to nudge others aside.
All pics by me.
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