Puckett’s Pond Minnesota Twins Top 20 Prospects: 11-15

14. Lewis Thorpe, LHP, 21 years old

The Twins have done as well on the Australian continent as any team in baseball, and Thorpe is absolutely one of the jewels of the team’s prospects from that island continent.

The performance of Thorpe in the GCL and with Cedar Rapids was so dominant in 2013 and 2014 that he was ranked the #101 and #91 prospect with Baseball Prospectus, respectively, after those seasons. He posted a 2.05 ERA over 44 innings in 2013 with an insane 6/64 BB/K ratio before following up at age 18 in full season ball throwing 71 2/3 innings with a 36/80 BB/K ratio and a 3.52 ERA.

Unfortunately, Thorpe suffered a torn elbow ligament and missed the 2015 and 2016 season as he fully healed from the elbow injury and dealt with mono. While it seems like a lot of time lost for a 21 year-old, he is just that – 21 years old.

At his best, Thorpe sits in the low-90s with his fastball, touching mid-90s with elite movement, mixing it with a heavy sinking change that is effective against hitters on both sides of the plate. He utilizes a curve and a slider that both flash above average quality, but he’s still getting the feel back for them at this time.

Thorpe has come back this season and shown a lot of the excellence that made him such a highly regarded prospect in high-A this season, throwing 36 1/3 innings, with a 2.72 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 17/40 BB/K ratio.