2024 Cubs Prospect Profile: Riley Thompson |
The name Riley Thompson comes to mind when you talk about guys who have fallen victim to the vastly improved farm system. The RHP was an 11th-round pick back in 2018 and pitched exceptionally well his first two seasons to earn himself top 20 status in the organization, with No. 17 being his highest ranking.
However, since the 2021 season, Thompson has not only fallen out of the top 30 rankings, but some forgot he was even in the organization. That is due to a series of injuries that he missed nearly three seasons before returning in 2022. Now that he is 100% healthy and back on the mound, Thompson will play a massive role for the Iowa Cubs next season and could be one of those guys lined up to have a breakout season. Thompson was always known for his heater during his prep days, as he was touching 96 MPH with that heater during his senior season. That alone had him projected to be a first-round pick, but after undergoing Tommy John Thompson, he elected to enroll at Louisville. His tenure with the Cardinals was rocky as he dealt with shoulder issues his freshman season before struggling with his command to end his career. Despite that, the Cubs saw value in him and signed him for 200K, above the 11th-round slot value. Once the Cubs got him signed, Thompson remained healthy and played a role in two championships in two seasons, with his first coming for short-season Eugene in 2018, where he posted a 2.84 ERA in eight games. Expected to make a significant jump in 2019, Thompson made the leap to South Bend, where he immediately established himself as one of the better starters in the Midwest League. Thompson started 21 games that season for the Cubs, reaching 95 innings and posting an 8-6 record. Thompson added a 3.06 ERA while walking 31 and striking out 87. If his first two professional seasons indicated what was to come for Thompson, he was destined to have an excellent career, but as we have seen all too often, careers can change in the blink of an eye. That happened over the next two seasons as COVID took away the entire 2020 before Thompson suffered an injury heading into 2021, forcing him to miss his second straight season. Missing one season with an injury is hard enough on a guy, but to go over two seasons without throwing a pitch took a toll on Thompson, and by the time 2022 rolled around, he was hoping to keep his job. Thompson has been shaky at best the past two seasons, but most importantly, he has remained healthy. He has appeared in 44 games the past two seasons, with 38 coming as starts, and has gone on to 5-13 with an ERA closer to 4.90. That isn't what you like to see, especially when you look at how his career started, but you had to think there would be some rust involved. Thompson continues to battle through some command issues, but once Iowa moved him to the pen late in the season, you started to see that command improve. You have to wonder if that decision was made more so for this season, as having him pitch out of the pen is the most likely route for him to reach the majors. Not the hard thrower he once was in high school, Thompson still sits in the 92-95 MPH range but can still hit 97 MPH plus in short spurts. Fastball command has been an issue for him, affecting his best pitch, the curve. When on, his curveball has a 12-6 break and tops out in the 84 MPH range. That pitch is very tough to square up, but it makes it easier to lay off that curve when you can't throw strikes with the fastball. He has developed an effective changeup since switching to a split-finger grip, though he sometimes falls in love with the pitch too much and that tends to result in hard contact. The Cubs have helped Thompson clean up the lower half in his delivery, and he has displayed improved control as a pro. At one point, many felt he could be in the middle of the rotation arm, and up until 2022, that was the belief. However, given the injury history he has already shown and the overall improvement out of the pen, his quickest route to Chicago could be in a relief role. Look for Thompson to be unleashed this season, as this could be his last stand with the Cubs.
