Tyler Thornburg

Tyler Thornburg
Thornburg pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Milwaukee Brewers – No. 63
Pitcher
Born: (1988-09-29) September 29, 1988 Houston, Texas
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 19, 2012 for the Milwaukee Brewers
Career statistics (through 2013 season)
Win-loss record	3–1
Earned run average	2.64
Strikeouts	68
Teams
Milwaukee Brewers (2012–present)

Tyler Michael Thornburg (born September 29, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut on June 19, 2012. Prior to beginning his professional career, he played college baseball for the Charleston Southern Buccaneers.

Early life

When Thornburg was a 12-year-old, he played as an outfielder in little league baseball for the Sandy Springs All-Stars, which won the Georgia state championship,^[1] and reached the 2001 Southeast Regional final of the Little League World Series by pitching Sandy Springs past Vienna (VA) American 1-0.^[2]

Career

Thornburg attended Riverwood High School, where he played for the school's baseball team.^[3] He then enrolled in Charleston Southern University, where he played college baseball for the Charleston Southern Buccaneers, a member of the Big South Conference within the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. With the Buccaneers, Thornburg played as a pitcher and outfielder.^[4] In 2010, he was twice named the Big South Conference's pitcher of the week.^[5] In the summer of 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Winchester Royals of the Valley Baseball League, winning the league's Most Valuable Player award.^[6] He played for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2009.^[7]

The Brewers drafted Thornburg in the third round, with the 96th overall selection, of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft.^[4] He signed with the Brewers and pitched that year for the Helena Brewers in the Rookie-level Pioneer League. Thornburg began the 2011 season Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Class A Midwest League, receiving a promotion to the Brevard County Manatees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League (FSL).^[8] Thornburg had a 7–0 win-loss record and 1.50 earned run average (ERA) with Wisconsin,^[9][10] and represented the Timber Rattlers in the Midwest League All-Star Game.^[11] He was named FSL pitcher of the week in his first week after the promotion.^[12] Thornburg participated in the 2011 All-Star Futures Game.^[13]

MLB.com ranked Thornburg as the Brewers' fourth best prospect heading into the 2012 season.^[14] The Brewers assigned Thornburg to the Huntsville Stars of the Class AA Southern League.^[15] He had an 8–1 record with a 3.00 ERA in 13 games started, and was named the Brewers' minor league pitcher of the month for May 2012.^[16] He was also selected to appear in the Southern League All-Star Game.^[17] Instead of making an All-Star Game appearance, the Brewers promoted Thornburg to the major leagues to make his debut for the Brewers on June 19, 2012 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He was called up to make an emergency start, for the injured Shaun Marcum.^[17] In his debut, Thorburg allowed back-to-back-to-back home runs to Colby Rasmus, José Bautista, and Edwin Encarnación ^[18] He also collected his first major-league hit with a double to left center in his first major-league at bat.^[19] He was assigned to the Nashville Sounds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League after the game.^[20]

Thornburg appeared in 3 games with the Brewers during spring training in 2013, but was cut on March 11 and assigned to Nashville. Thornburg was the Sounds' Opening Day starter, pitching 5 innings and giving up 1 run, earning a no-decision. On June 5, Thornburg was recalled, replacing the injured Marco Estrada.^[21] At the time, Thornburg was 0-7 with a 6.75 ERA in 12 starts. He made his 2013 major league debut that day against Oakland, pitching 2 scoreless innings of relief in the 6-1 loss. He recorded his first win in his next appearance, pitching 2 scoreless innings against Philadelphia on June 8. After the game, Thornburg was optioned back to Nashville, when Jim Henderson was activated off the disabled list. Thornburg made 3 more starts with Nashville before being recalled on June 29, replacing Caleb Gindl. He spent the rest of the season with Milwaukee, and pitched in 16 games (7 starts). In 18 games (7 starts) with the Brewers, Thornburg went 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA, striking out 48 in 66.2 innings.

Scouting report

Thornburg's fastball is generally 92 to 94 miles per hour (148–151 km/h), but can reach 97 to 98 miles per hour (156–158 km/h). Due to his velocity, size, over-the-top delivery, and repertoire, he has drawn increasingly favorable comparisons to Tim Lincecum.^[2] He throws two off-speed pitches, including a strong power curveball in the low-80's, and a sinking change-up in the low-to-mid 80's.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)