On Dec. 1, 2021, the Pittsburgh Pirates continued their rebuild by trading catcher Jacob Stallings to the Miami Marlins in exchange for three players. Two were Minor League prospects Kyle Nicolas and Connor Scott, while the other was a pitcher who was a familiar name to the organization.
That pitcher was Zach Thompson.
Thompson was originally drafted by the Pirates in the 48th round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft, but opted not to sign and returned to college. Then, in 2014, Thompson was drafted in the fifth round by the Marlins and signed his professional contract on June 10.