Alexander Lewis / MyCentralJersey / USA TODAY NETWORK
Entering the 2023 season, to say that Drew Thorpe would be in Double-A by season’s end would have been enough to consider his season a success. The 22-year-old out of Cal Poly, the Yankees selected him 61st overall in the 2nd Round of the MLB Draft, but the 6’4 right-hander lacked the overpowering velocity or elite breaking ball to project as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. What he did have was a great changeup and stellar command, but neither of those traits would be enough to justify even the thought that Thorpe could make big league starts in just one season.