Zachary Ryan Thompson (born October 23, 1993) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who is a free agent. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. He was drafted by the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

in the 5th round of the

2014 Major League Baseball draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...

Career

Chicago White Sox

Thompson was drafted by the

in the 48th round of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

but did not sign and attended the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas. The university was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M University System for several decades until joining the University of Te ...

. He was then drafted by the

in the 5th round of the

and signed. He made his professional debut with the rookie ball

Great Falls Voyagers The Great Falls Voyagers are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Great Falls, Montana, and play their home games at Cente ...

. In 2015, Thompson played for the Single-A

Kannapolis Intimidators Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, Cabarrus and Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord, North Carolina, Concord and northeast of Charlotte, North Carolina, ...

, recording a 3–8 record and 4.44 ERA in 16 appearances. The next year, he split the season between the High-A

Winston-Salem Dash The Winston-Salem Dash are a Minor League Baseball team in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They are a High-A team in the South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Chicago White Sox since 1997. The Dash began playing their home games at ...

and Kannapolis, accumulating a 9–8 record and 3.77 ERA in 140.2 innings of work. He remained with Winston-Salem for the 2017 season, pitching to a 2–7 record and 5.50 ERA with 73 strikeouts. In 2018, Thompson split the season between the Double-A

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

and Winston-Salem, posting a 6–1 record and stellar 1.55 ERA in 43 games. In 2019, Thompson split the year between the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

and Birmingham, pitching to a 5–2 record and 5.23 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 75.2 innings pitched. Thompson did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On November 2, 2020, he elected free agency.

Miami Marlins

On November 23, 2020, Thompson signed a minor league contract with the

organization that included an invitation to spring training. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

to begin the season. On June 5, 2021, Thompson was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut on June 7 as the starting pitcher against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, taking the loss after allowing two runs on four hits in three innings; he recorded his first major league strikeout against Kiké Hernández.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On November 29, 2021, the Marlins traded Thompson,

Connor Scott Connor Bryant Scott (born October 8, 1999) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Amateur career Scott attended Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, where he played four years of varsit ...

, and

Kyle Nicolas Kyle Todd Nicolas (born February 22, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023. Amateur career Nicolas grew up in Massillon, Ohio and attended Jacks ...

to the

for

Jacob Stallings Jacob Daniel Stallings (born December 22, 1989) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016. In 2021, Stallings won the Gold Glove Aw ...

. Thompson made 29 appearances (22 starts) for Pittsburgh in 2022, posting a 3-10 record and 5.18 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 121.2 innings pitched. On January 5, 2023, Thompson was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh after the signing of Rich Hill was made official.

Toronto Blue Jays

On January 10, 2023, Thompson was traded to the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

in exchange for

Chavez Young Chavez Young (born July 8, 1997) is an Bahamian professional baseball outfielder. Young moved to the United States when he was 15, and attended Faith Baptist Christian Academy in Brandon, Florida, for two years. In his final year of high school ...

. Thompson was optioned to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

to begin the 2023 season. In 11 starts for Buffalo, Thompson struggled to a 2–4 record and 6.89 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 47.0 innings of work. On June 6, he was designated for assignment by Toronto following the promotion of

Bowden Francis Robert Bowden Francis ( ; born April 22, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. High school and college Francis was born on April 22, 1996, in T ...

. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Buffalo on June 8. He elected free agency on November 6.

Personal life

Thompson and his wife, Ashlyn, married in December 2017 and have one daughter together.

References

External links

UT Arlington Mavericks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Zach 1993 births Living people People from Burleson, Texas Baseball players from Texas Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players Pittsburgh Pirates players UT Arlington Mavericks baseball players Great Falls Voyagers players Kannapolis Intimidators players Winston-Salem Dash players Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Glendale Desert Dogs players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players