SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Last week, former Cal Poly pitcher Drew Thorpe allowed one hit -- a single leading off the second inning -- over eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts against Aberdeen for his fourth win of the season.
Make it five.
The South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week last week, Thorpe struck out a season-high 12 over seven innings, scattering five hits, as Hudson Valley defeated Jersey Shore 1-0 on Sunday in Lakewood, N.J.
Pitching in his first professional season, Thorpe improved to 5-1 for the year as he did not allow a walk and lowered his ERA to 2.91.
Thorpe was drafted in the second round, 61st selection overall, by the New York Yankees last July and was shut down for the summer after throwing 104 2/3 innings during the 2022 college season at Cal Poly.
Thorpe's banner third season with the Mustangs included a 10-1 record and 2.32 ERA. He finished second in the nation with a school-record 149 strikeouts and produced 14 consecutive quality starts to close out the year. One of those starts was a Division I school record-tying 15-strikeout performance over seven innings against UC San Diego. Thorpe and Jason Franks combined for 20 strikeouts in the 7-0 shutout.
Thorpe was named to all six All-America first teams, becoming the first Mustang to accomplish the feat. He also played in the Cape Cod League and for Team USA last summer and also was a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award.
Writes Joe Trezza of MLB.com on Thorpe's performance Sunday, "Thorpe continues to turn heads in his pro debut. He followed up eight innings of one-hit ball in his last outing with an arguably more dominant performance Sunday.
"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 2/3 innings dating back to May 28, with 22 strikeouts and only two walks in that span.
" 'Today my stuff felt really good,' Thorpe said. '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."
In his first 10 starts at Hudson Valley, Thorpe has completed at least five innings in eight of them and at least six innings in five of his last seven. All told, he's pitched to a 71-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first 58 ? professional innings.
Other noteworthy performances by former Mustang baseball players in the last week ...
• Outfielder Mitch Haniger broke up a no-hit bid by the Chicago Cubs' Kyle Hendricks last Saturday with a two-out double in the eighth inning. Haniger's hit was the only one of the game for the San Francisco Giants in the 4-0 loss.
Haniger also contributed a single and double on Monday as the Giants edged the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3. It was Haniger's 10th multiple-hit game of the season and he lifted his average to .231 with four home runs and 22 RBIs in 39 games. Haniger had a trio of three-hit games over a four-game span May 26-29.
On Tuesday, Haniger suffered a fractured right forearm after being struck by an 88.8 mph sinker from Cards right-hander Jack Flaherty in the third inning, The Giants didn't offer a timetable for Haniger's return, but the 32-year-old veteran was placed on the injured list on Wednesday. Luis Matos was called up from the Sacramento RiverCats to replace Haniger.
Haniger will undergo surgery on his forearm in Los Angeles on Thursday. His 2023 season was delayed more than three weeks due to an oblique injury from spring training. Haniger played just 57 games in 2022 due to an ankle injury and a ruptured testicle ended his 2019 season early. Back surgery — possibly complicated by the groin injury — sidelined Haniger the entire 2020 campaign. He was healthy in 2021, when he broke out with 39 home runs and 100 RBIs for Seattle.
• Alex McKenna's three-run triple in the eighth inning lifted Sugar Land to a 10-8 win over Albuquerque last Friday. McKenna is hitting .258 with a home run and 10 RBIs in 19 games for the Triple-A team after being promoted from Double-A Corpus Christi in late April.
Alex McKenna lifts batting average to .258.
• Andrew Alvarez has not allowed a run in his last three appearances on the mound for Hi-A Wilmington. He earned his fourth win Tuesday against Jersey Shore with five scoreless innings and struck out a career-high nine in a no-decision against Greensboro on June 8, also with five scoreless frames.
Alvarez, 4-1 with a 2.65 ERA, has not allowed a run over his last 14 innings.
• Center fielder Bradlee Beesley of the Double-A Tennessee Smokies was hit in the face by a pitched ball in the seventh inning of a May 25 Double-A game against Birmingham. "He left the game, but he did walk off under his own power," said a note on bleedcubbieblue.com. "It appeared to hit him in the jaw or cheek."
A spokesman for the Smokies said Beesley is recovering nicely, but a date for his return is uncertain.
Prior to the injury, Beesley was hitting .250 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 17 games. He opened the year at Hi-A South Bend and hit .302 in 13 games before he was called up to Tennessee April 25.
• Brooks Lee is hitting .261 for the Wichita Wind Surge after a pair of two-hit games in the last week, including two doubles against San Antonio on June 8. Of his 53 games played this season, Lee has produced multiple hits 16 times.
• Bryan Woo, who has made two starts for the Mariners, is scheduled to make his third start Friday as Seattle plays the Chicago White Sox at T-Mobile Park.
Woo gave up six runs and seven hits with four strikeouts in two innings in his Major League debut June 3 against Texas, then struck out seven over 4 2/3 frames last Saturday versus the Los Angeles Angels, allowing only a two-run home run to Shohei Ohtani in the no-decision.
• Nick Torres, who hit .382 in May for the Laguna Vaqueros in the Mexican League, is off to a .385 start in June, going 15-for-39 in 10 games with seven two-hit games, a pair of home runs and 11 RBIs. Hitting .351 to date, Torres is ninth in the league in hits (59), 13th with his .351 average, 11th in RBIs (34), 16th in home runs and eighth in doubles (14).
Cal Poly's current Major Leaguers are Haniger, Woo and Mark Mathias (Pirates). Justin Bruihl (Dodgers), Spencer Howard (Rangers) and Erich Uelmen (Phillies) all have played in the Majors this season, but currently are in Triple-A along with McKenna, Torres, Taylor Dollard (Tacoma) and Nick Meyer (Syracuse). Lee and Bradlee Beesley (Tennessee) are in Double-A.
Follow the progress of all former Cal Poly baseball players in professional baseball by clicking the link at the top of the page.
