Traded for Juan Soto and Dylan Cease, Drew Thorpe now set to shine for White Sox

Traded for Juan Soto and Dylan Cease, Drew Thorpe now set to shine for White Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Chicago White Sox prospect Drew Thorpe is set to take the mound on Tuesday night against the Seattle Mariners, but as he prepares for his MLB debut, it’s worth looking back at the wild journey he’s taken to get to the big leagues.

Thorpe is the third-ranked prospect in the White Sox system, and at just 23 years of age and with a grand total of 16 starts at the Double-A level, he’s hoping to reinvigorate a team that has run into some rough luck so far this season.

White Sox fans would be forgiven if Thorpe wasn’t on their radar before this season, as he was a highly-touted prospect in the New York Yankees’ system after being selected in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

All he did in his first professional season was fly through High-A and Double-A in the Yankees’ system, posting a 14-2 record, a 2.52 ERA and striking out 182 batters in 139.1 innings of work.

His career took a rapid turn in December when he was included in the blockbuster trade that landed the Yankees the services of outfielder Juan Soto, with multiple other prospects heading to the San Diego Padres in that deal.

Thorpe didn’t have much time to search for real estate in San Antonio or El Paso, the Double-A and Triple-A affiliates for the Padres, as he was involved in yet another blockbuster trade in March 2024. In that deal, the Padres sent him to the White Sox as part of the package required to acquire ace pitcher Dylan Cease from the South Siders, landing Thorpe in yet another organization.

Needless to say, the White Sox viewed Thorpe as a massive component of the deal. He came into the season ranked among the top 50 prospects in all of baseball by Baseball Prospectus, and was also in the Top-100 prospect lists for Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.

His dominant pitching performance as a professional continued in the White Sox organization, with a 7-1 record and a 1.35 ERA in 11 starts this season with the Double-A Birmingham Barons. He has 56 strikeouts in 60 innings, and has a WHIP of just 0.87 on the season.

Thorpe is expected to be activated by the White Sox prior to Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, with first pitch set for 8:40 p.m. on NBC Sports Chicago.

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