Zack Thornton

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Not to be confused with Zach Thornton.
Zack Thornton
Zack Thornton Mets (1).jpg
Thornton with the New York Mets in 2016
Pitcher / Coach
Born: (1988-05-19) May 19, 1988 (age 33)
Oak Park, California
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Zachary James Thornton (born May 19, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher . He is currently the pitching Coach for the Santa Barbara Foresters. Thornton throws a 91 mph sinker, an 84 mph slider, and an 84 mph changeup.[1]

Pitching for Oak Park High School, Thornton was All-State in California. At Ventura College, in 2008 he was 11–1 and was First Team all-SoCal and named to the Western State Conference North Team. Transferring to the University of Oregon, in his senior year in 2010 he was 9–0 and was named Pac-10 honorable mention. The Oakland Athletics selected Thornton in the 23rd round of the 2010 MLB draft, and he signed. In 2011, Thornton was a Midwest League All Star. In 2013, he was named a MiLB.com Pittsburgh Pirates Organization All-Star. In 2015, he was named the Venezuelan Winter League's Setup Pitcher of The Year. He pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Early life[]

Thornton was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Oak Park, California.[2][3] His parents are James and Robin Thornton (a New York native), and he has a brother named Sam.[4][5]

High school[]

He attended and graduated in 2006 from Oak Park High School in Oak Park, California.[2][4] Pitching for the baseball team, Thornton was All-State, all-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and all-Tri-Valley League.[4]

College[]

Thornton enrolled at Ventura College. He pitched for the baseball team in 2007 and 2008.[4] In his sophomore year he was 11–1 with a 1.12 ERA in 89 innings, and was named to the First Team all-SoCal Team and the Western State Conference North Team.[4][6][7] The San Francisco Giants selected Thornton in the 43rd round of the 2008 MLB draft, but he opted not to sign.[8]

He transferred to the University of Oregon, to continue his college career with the Oregon Ducks. In his junior year in 2009, Thornton suffered a right shoulder injury, which he had surgically corrected, releasing the capsule to allow his shoulder to have unhindered internal rotation.[4][9] In his senior year in 2010 he was 9–0 (his 9 wins matching the Oregon single-season record, and his 1.000 winning percentage setting the Oregon single-season record) with a 3.40 ERA (10th in the Conference) in 90 innings in which he struck out 73 batters and walked 16, and was named Pac-10 honorable mention.[3][6][10] The Oakland Athletics selected Thornton in the 23rd round of the 2010 MLB draft,[11] and he signed.

Minor leagues[]

Thornton pitched in 2010 for the AZL Athletics of the Rookie Arizona League and the Vancouver Canadians of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League.[12][13]

In 2011, Thornton had a 5–4 win–loss record, a 2.39 earned run average, and 82 strikeouts in 83 innings for the Burlington Bees of the Class A Midwest League, and made one appearance for the Midland RockHounds of the AA Texas League.[13] At mid-season, he appeared in the Midwest League All-Star Game. He pitched for the Stockton Ports of the Class A-Advanced California League in 2012, going 4–0 with 16 saves (2nd in the league, and 4th among Oakland minor leaguers) and a 4.53 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.[13][14][15] The Athletics traded Thornton to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 2012 season for pitcher Chris Resop.[16][1]

In the 2013 season, Thornton pitched for the Bradenton Marauders of the A+ Florida State League, the Altoona Curve of the AA Eastern League, and the Indianapolis Indians of the AAA International League.[13] He was a combined 7–3 with 5 saves and a 2.63 ERA, and recorded 90 strikeouts to 12 walks in 75.1 innings, as he kept opponents to a .204 batting average.[13][15] His 31 strikeouts and 4 walks in AAA for a 7.75 K/BB ratio was fourth-best among International League pitchers with at least 25 innings pitched.[8] He was named a MiLB.com Pittsburgh Pirates Organization All-Star.[17] He pitched for the Scottsdale Scorpions in 2013 in the Arizona Fall League, where he had a 3.07 ERA.[1][15] He was considered a potential selection in the 2013 Rule 5 draft,[18][19] but he was not selected.

Thornton began the 2014 season with the Indianapolis Indians, going 2–0 with a 1.23 ERA.[13] On April 18, 2014, the Pirates traded Thornton and a player to be named later to the New York Mets for first baseman Ike Davis.[20] Thornton pitched as a reliever for the Las Vegas 51s of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, going 1–5 with a 4.22 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 59.2 innings.[5][21] He then pitched in three games for Navegantes del Magallanes in the 2015 Venezuelan Winter League.[13]

Thornton with the New York Mets in 2016

In 2015, he pitched again for Las Vegas, going 4–4 with a 3.94 ERA in 63 games.[13] That winter Thornton again pitched for Navegantes del Magallanes, and was named the Venezuelan Winter League's Setup Pitcher of The Year.[13][22] In 2016, he pitched again for Las Vegas, going 0–3 with a 7.03 ERA.[13] He became a free agent in November 2016.[17]

In 2017, he pitched for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League.[23] In 47 relief appearances, he was 2-4 with 2 saves and a 3.63 ERA.[24] He became a free agent after the season.

Team Israel; World Baseball Classic[]

On February 1, 2017, Thornton wrote on Twitter: "I'm excited to announce that I will be playing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic!"[25] He pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic in March 2017.[21]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Matthew Cerrone (April 19, 2014). "Who is Zack Thornton?", sny.tv/mets/news.
  2. ^ a b "Zack Thornton Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. ^ a b "MLB Draft 2010: Oregon pitcher Zack Thornton picked by Oakland". The Oregonian. June 9, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Zack Thornton – 2009 Baseball Roster". GoDucks.com.
  5. ^ a b Todd Dewey (June 2, 2014). "51s’ pitcher adjusts to park," Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  6. ^ a b Sypa, Steve (April 18, 2014). "Ike Davis Trade Analysis: Meet Zack Thornton". amazinavenue.com.
  7. ^ "Ventura College All-Conference Players and All State (1980–2013)"
  8. ^ a b "Get to know Mets reliever Zack Thornton". Newsday. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  9. ^ Adam Rubin (April 30, 2014). Farm report: Thornton finds familiar faces," ESPN.
  10. ^ https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/uoregon.sidearmsports.com/documents/2018/2/28/2018_Record_Book.pdf
  11. ^ "MLB Draft 2010: Oregon pitcher Zack Thornton picked by Oakland". The Oregonian. June 9, 2010.
  12. ^ "Orloff showing his versatility". Ventura County Star. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Zack Thornton Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics & History," Baseball-Reference.com.
  14. ^ "2012 California League Pitching Leaders," Baseball-Reference.com.
  15. ^ a b c "2014 Indianapolis Indians Media Guide"
  16. ^ "Pirates acquire RHP Zach Thornton from Oakland in exchange for RHP Chris Resop". mlb.com. November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Zack Thornton Stats, Fantasy & News," mlb.com.
  18. ^ Evan Drellich (December 8, 2013). "Astros prepare for first pick in complex Rule 5 draft". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  19. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (December 6, 2013). "Pipeline Inbox: 2014 Draft full of good HS arms". mlb.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  20. ^ Bill Baer (April 18, 2014). "Pirates acquire Ike Davis in a trade with the Mets | HardballTalk". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  21. ^ a b Helfand, Betsy (February 8, 2017). "Former, current 51s to play in World Baseball Classic". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  22. ^ "Mets RHP Zack Thornton named the VWL's Setup Pitcher of The Year", sny.tv/mets, January 12, 2016.
  23. ^ BLUE CRABS SIGN WBC STANDOUT ZACK THORNTON | Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
  24. ^ Zack Thornton Minor, Fall, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
  25. ^ "Zack Thornton (@Thortythort30)," Twitter.

External links[]

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