Trent Thornton

Trent Thornton
Thornton with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2020
Seattle Mariners – No. 46
Pitcher
Born: (1993-09-30) September 30, 1993 (age 31) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 31, 2019, for the Toronto Blue Jays
MLB statistics (through 2024 season)
Win–loss record	12–19
Earned run average	4.34
Strikeouts	347
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Toronto Blue Jays (2019–2023) Seattle Mariners (2023–present)

Trent Edward Thornton (born September 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Amateur career

Thornton graduated from Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, North Carolina^[1] and enrolled at the University of North Carolina to play college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he had a 12–1 win–loss record and 8 saves with a 1.37 earned run average (ERA) in 29 games, earning freshman All-American honors.^[2][3] As a sophomore in 2014, he went 7–4 with a 2.73 ERA in 16 games, including 14 starts.^[4] He was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference second-team.^[3] He then played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League.^[5] As a junior in 2015, he went 3–7 with a 5.08 ERA in 28 games, including four starts.^[6]

Professional career

Houston Astros

Thorton was selected by the Houston Astros in the fifth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, and he received a $325,000 bonus when he signed.^[7][8] He made his professional debut that summer with the Low-A Tri-City Valley Cats, going 4–0 with a 3.27 ERA in 12 starts and 3 relief appearances. In 2016, he began the season with the High-A Lancaster JetHawks and was promoted in July to the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. He compiled a combined 10–5 record with a 3.52 ERA in 24 appearances, 21 of them starts. In 2017, he returned to Corpus Christi for the first three weeks of the season, then moved up to Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies. He pitched to a 9–6 record and a 5.21 ERA in 25 games, 23 starts, for the two clubs.^[5] He spent 2018 with Fresno. He was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for June 11–17 after pitching 72⁄3 scoreless innings in which he allowed only one hit, given up with two outs in the eighth inning, and two walks.^[9] In 24 games (22 starts) for the Grizzlies, Thornton went 9–8 with a 4.42 ERA.^[10] After the 2018 regular season, he pitched for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.^[5]

Toronto Blue Jays

On November 17, 2018, Houston traded Thornton to the Toronto Blue Jays for utility player Aledmys Díaz.^[11] The Blue Jays added Theonton to their 40-man roster a few days later to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.^[12] After 2019 spring training, the Blue Jays announced that Thornton had made the Opening Day roster on March 26.^[13] He made his MLB debut on March 31, starting against the Detroit Tigers. He pitches five shutout innings, and his eight strikeouts established a new franchise record for strikeouts in an MLB debut.^[14] Thornton earned his first career win on May 14 on the road against the San Francisco Giants, allowing two runs and striking out seven in 52⁄3 innings. He also hit two singles, the only hits of his MLB career and scored two runs in the interleague game, which Toronto won 7–3.^[15] Thornton's rookie season ended with a 6–9 record and 4.84 ERA in 29 starts, the most in his big league career, and 3 bullpen outings. He led the Jays in starts, innings pitched, and strikeouts.^[16] He lowered his ERA below 5.00 in the final month of the season,^[17] crediting his development in part to rotation-mates Clay Buccholz and Clayton Richard.^[18]

Thornton making his first start in 2020.

Thornton started three games for the 2020 Toronto Blue Jays, with no decisions, an 11.12 ERA, and six strikeouts in 52⁄3 innings. Elbow problems doomed his season, as he started the shortened season on the injured list with right elbow inflammation, made one start on July 27, then went back on the shelf for several weeks.^[19] He returned to the mound on August 20 and made two more starts, not recording an out beyond the first inning in either of them.^[20] Thornton went back on the 10-day injured list on August 24, moving to the 60-day injured list three days later, due to elbow inflammation caused by bone spurs.^[19][21][22]

Thornton shifted to a relief role in 2021, initially due to injury concerns.^[21] He had a 1–3 record and 4.78 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 49 innings.^[23] He started the season strong, with a 2.49 ERA at the end of May,^[24][25] but spent the second half of the season shuttling between the majors and the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, being optioned to Buffalo six different times from July 7 to September 13.^[19]

Thornton had a similar role for Toronto and Buffalo in 2022, making 32 appearances for Toronto, pitching to an 0–2 record and 4.11 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 46 innings. He was optioned to Buffalo four times from May through August, before being recalled on October 5 and recording the final six outs of the Jays regular season finale, a win over the Baltimore Orioles.^[26] He was left off Toronto's roster for the Wild Card Series loss to the Seattle Mariners.^[27]

On January 13, 2023, Thornton signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Blue Jays, avoiding salary arbitration.^[28] Thornton was optioned to Buffalo to begin the 2023 season.^[29] He was recalled to Toronto in June 19, then sent back to Buffalo on July 1. In 4 relief appearances for Toronto, he had a 1.69 ERA with 5 strikeouts in 5+1⁄3 innings.^[19] Thornton was designated for assignment by Toronto on July 21, 2023, following the acquisition of reliever Génesis Cabrera.^[30]

Seattle Mariners

On July 26, 2023, the Blue Jays traded Thornton to the Seattle Mariners for infielder Mason McCoy.^[31] The Mariners added Thornton to their roster on August 1, and he became a bullpen regular, pitching in 23 of the team's final 56 games. He had a 1–2 record for Seattle in 2023, with a 2.08 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 23 innings. With the Mariners, he began throwing a sweeper as his most common pitch and also threw more sliders.^[32]

Thornton and the Mariners agreed to a one-year $1.2 million contract on January 11, 2024.^[8] Thornton picked up his first MLB save on June 26, 2024, relieving closer Andrés Muñoz with no outs and the bases loaded, allowing just one inherited runner to score.^[33][34] He led Mariners pitchers in 2024 with 71 appearances, going 4–3 with a 3.61 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 72+1⁄3 innings.^[35] Thornton added one mile per hour to his fastball velocity, compared to 2023, and he was in the top 12 percent of pitchers at getting batters to swing at pitches thrown outside the strike zone.^[32]

Personal life

Several of Thornton's relatives played college football.^[6][3] His father Jeff played quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers in 1988.^[36] His uncle Wes played defense for the Davidson Wildcats in the 1990s.^[37][38] His late grandfather Jerry played football and baseball for the Kansas Jayhawks in the 1960s.^[39]

References

1. "10 Charlotte Area Baseball Players Now in Minor League Baseball". Charlotte Baseball Report. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
2. Price, Jimmy (December 7, 2016). "Astros Future Interview: Trent Thornton". Astros Future. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
3. "Trent Thornton - Baseball". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
4. "UNC Baseball Off To Hot Start". keepingitheel.com. February 20, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
5. "Trent Thornton College, Amateur, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
6. Koehler, Jess (August 17, 2015). "On different route to pros". Times Union. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
7. "MLB draft selection an emotional moment for Ardrey Kell, UNC pitcher Trent Thornton". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
8. "Trent Thornton | MLB Contracts & Salaries". Spotrac. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
9. "Trent Thornton named PCL Pitcher of the Week". MiLB.com. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
10. "Trent Thornton Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
11. "Jays swap Diaz to Astros for pitcher". MLB.com. November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
12. Armstrong, Laura (November 20, 2018). "Blue Jays exercise right to not share arms". thestar.com. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
13. "Urena, Luciano, Pannone make Jays' Opening Day roster". TSN.ca. March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
14. Chisholm, Gregor (March 31, 2019). "Thornton's club mark comes in bittersweet loss". MLB.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
15. Longley, Rob (May 15, 2019). "Blue Jays phenom Vlad Guerrero Jr. blasts first two home runs". torontosun.com. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
16. "2019 Toronto Blue Jays Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
17. "Trent Thornton 2019 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
18. Matheson, Keegan (September 29, 2019). "Thornton finishes season on a high note". MLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
19. "Trent Thornton Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
20. "Trent Thornton 2020 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
21. Matheson, Keegan (March 28, 2021). "Kirk, Mayza, Thornton, Tellez added to roster". MLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
22. McGrath, Kaitlyn. "After injury-shortened 2020, where does Trent Thornton fit in Blue Jays' plans?". The Athletic. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
23. "Blue Jays recall Ryan Borucki; option Trent Thornton to triple-A Buffalo".
24. Matheson, Keegan (May 23, 2021). "Long relievers providing value for Toronto". MLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
25. "Trent Thornton 2021 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
26. "Trent Thornton 2022 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
27. "Espinal on, injured Gurriel off Blue Jays' WCS roster". MLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
28. "2023 MLB Arbitration Tracker". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
29. "Blue Jays' Trent Thornton: Optioned to Triple-A". cbssports.com. March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
30. "Blue Jays acquire LHP Genesis Cabrera from Cardinals, DFA Trent Thornton". sportsnet.ca. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
31. "Blue Jays trade reliever Trent Thornton to Mariners for prospect Mason McCoy".
32. "Trent Thornton Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics". baseballsavant.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
33. "Seattle Mariners vs Tampa Bay Rays Box Score: June 26, 2024". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
34. "Trent Thornton gets the save". MLB.com. June 26, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
35. "2024 Seattle Mariners Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
36. "Jeff Thornton College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
37. "Davidson Football Recordbook" (PDF). Davidson Wildcats. 2019. p. 16.
38. "1998 Football Season Statistics". Davidson College Athletics. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
39. "Jerry Thornton Obituary (1943 - 2012) - Legacy Remembers". Legacy.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
• Trent Thornton on Twitter
• Trent Thornton on Instagram