Zack Thompson

Thompson attended Wapahani High School in Selma, Indiana. He pitched to a combined 19-0 record and 0.59 ERA as a sophomore and junior along with going 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA and striking out 119 batters in 56 innings as a senior.[1] After his senior year, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 11th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[2] However, he did not sign and instead chose to enroll at the University of Kentucky to play college baseball for the Kentucky Wildcats.[3]

In 2017, as a freshman at Kentucky, Thompson appeared in twenty games (13 starts) in which he went 8-3 with a 3.45 ERA.[4] As a sophomore in 2018, Thompson missed nearly two months due to an elbow injury.[5][6] He appeared in nine games, making seven starts, going 2-1 with a 4.94 ERA.[7][8] That summer, Thompson played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Brewster Whitecaps[9] as well as for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.[10][11][12] Prior to the 2019 season, Thompson was named to the Preseason All-SEC First Team.[13] He was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week on April 1 after throwing a complete game shutout against the Georgia Bulldogs in which he struck out 13 batters while allowing only two hits.[14] Thompson finished his junior year with a 6-1 record and a 2.40 ERA over 14 starts, striking out 130 batters in ninety innings, earning a spot on the All-SEC Second Team.[15]

Thompson was considered one of the top prospects for the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[16] He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 19th overall pick.[17][18] He signed for $3 million,[19][20] and made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. After two relief appearances, he was promoted to the Palm Beach Cardinals,[21] with whom he finished the year. Over ​13 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched with Palm Beach, Thompson compiled a 4.05 ERA, striking out 19.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Kentucky Wildcats bio