Jacob Keith Thompson (born January 31, 1994) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

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 dr ...

for the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. 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 (A ...

(MLB) for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

and for the Lotte Giants of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

Career

Amateur career

Thompson attended

Rockwall-Heath High School Rockwall-Heath High School is a school located in Heath, Texas, USA, and is one of two high schools that serve the Rockwall Independent School District, the other being Rockwall High School. The school enrolls students from 9th to 12th grade. It ...

Heath, Texas Heath is a city in Rockwall and Kaufman counties, Texas, United States. The population was 6,921 at the 2010 census, up from 4,149 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. History A proposition was placed on the Novem ...

. There, in his senior year he was 12-3 with a 1.90 ERA and batted .504 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 131 at bats, and ''Baseball America'' named him a First-Team High School All-American. He committed to attend

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Discipl ...

(TCU) on a

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

scholarship to play for the

TCU Horned Frogs baseball The TCU Horned Frogs baseball team represents Texas Christian University in NCAA Division I baseball. The Frogs have competed in the Big 12 Conference since 2013 and previously competed in the Mountain West, Conference USA, Western Athletic Confe ...

team. However, the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

selected Thompson in the second round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto ...

, and he signed with the Tigers for a $532,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

Minor leagues

He made his professional debut for the

Gulf Coast Tigers The Florida Complex League Tigers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Tigers. The team plays its home gam ...

of the Rookie-level

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

, recording six

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is den ...

s over four innings with one hit allowed. He finished his first season 1–2 with a 1.91

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA) and 31 strikeouts over innings in seven starts. Right-handed batters hit .125 against him. Thompson played the 2013 season with the

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpar ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganiza ...

. He pitched in 17 games with 16 starts, going 3–3 with a 3.13 ERA and 91 strikeouts in innings. He started the 2014 season with the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. H ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A followi ...

. He was a mid-season Florida State League All Star. In July, Thompson played in the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National Leag ...

, and was promoted to the

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tige ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Eastern League Eastern League may refer to: Baseball in the United States ''Most recent leagues listed first'' * Eastern League (1938–present), a minor league established in 1923 and renamed Eastern League in 1938, at the Double-A level * Eastern League (1916� ...

. On July 23, 2014, the Tigers traded Thompson and Corey Knebel to the Texas Rangers in exchange for reliever

Joakim Soria Joakim Agustín Soria Ramos (born May 18, 1984) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Milwa ...

. The Rangers assigned Thompson to the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are named for the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regi ...

of the Class AA

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. After the 2014 season, MLB.com named him the 6th-best prospect in Texas's minor league system. In 2015 he was a Texas League mid-season All-Star. On July 31, 2015, Thompson was traded to the

along with Nick Williams,

Jorge Alfaro Jorge Mario Alfaro Buelvas (born June 11, 1993) is a Colombian professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. Alfaro signed with the Texas Rangers as a free agent in 2010, and was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2015. He made his ML ...

Alec Asher Alec Edward Asher (born October 4, 1991) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and Milwaukee Brewers and the Uni-President Lions of the Chine ...

, Matt Harrison, and

Jerad Eickhoff Jerad Joseph Eickhoff ( ; born July 2, 1990), is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates. Eickhoff was drafted by ...

in exchange for

Cole Hamels Colbert Michael Hamels (born December 27, 1983), nicknamed "Hollywood", is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (2006–2015), Texas Rangers ( ...

and Jake Diekman. Thompson pitched for the

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

of the Class AA

. After the 2015 season, ''Baseball America'' him the 3rd-best prospect in the Phillies minor league system. In 2016, Thompson pitched for the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

. He led the league with a 2.50 ERA and tied for the most wins with 11. He won the

International League Most Valuable Pitcher Award The International League Pitcher of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best pitcher in Minor League Baseball's International League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor League B ...

. He was also named an International League Post-Season All Star, and ''Baseball America'' Triple-A All Star.

Philadelphia Phillies

Thompson received his MLB callup on August 6, 2016, as the starting pitcher against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

in a 9–7 loss. He earned his first MLB win on August 12, in a 10–6 victory over the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

Citizens Bank Park Citizens Bank Park is a baseball stadium located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's South Philadelphia Sports Complex. It is the home playing field of the Philadelphia Phillies, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise. The ...

. He also struck out four batters in the second inning of that game. Thompson finished his rookie season with a 3-6 record with a 5.70 ERA and 32 strikeouts over ten MLB starts. During the 2017 season Thompson split time between the Phillies and Lehigh Valley, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.88 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 11 appearances (8 starts). Thompson recorded his first MLB career save on April 8, 2018 against 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 fra ...

, pitching three scoreless innings to end a 20-1 blowout. Despite this performance, Thompson was optioned Triple-A immediately after the game. He was designated for assignment by the Phillies on August 10.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Phillies traded Thompson to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

for cash considerations on August 14, and Milwaukee optioned him to the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockies ...

of the Class AAA

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

. He was designated for assignment on August 31, 2018. He was outrighted to AAA on September 3, 2018 and became a free agent after the season.

Lotte Giants

On December 13, 2018, Thompson signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Lotte Giants of the

. On June 9, 2019, he was released by the Giants.

Detroit Tigers (second stint)

On July 25, 2019, Thompson signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers. He became a minor league free agent on November 7, 2019.

Los Angeles Angels

On January 22, 2020, Thompson signed a minor league deal with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Leones de Yucatán

On May 25, 2021, Thompson signed with the

of the

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Jake 1994 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Baseball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Baseball players from Texas Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Erie SeaWolves players Frisco RoughRiders players Gigantes del Cibao players Gulf Coast Tigers players KBO League pitchers Lakeland Flying Tigers players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Leones de Yucatán players Leones del Escogido players Lotte Giants players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States People from Heath, Texas Philadelphia Phillies players Reading Fightin Phils players Sportspeople from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Toros del Este players United States national baseball team players West Michigan Whitecaps players Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Yaquis de Obregón players

Career

Amateur career

Minor leagues

Philadelphia Phillies

Milwaukee Brewers

Lotte Giants

Detroit Tigers (second stint)

Los Angeles Angels

Leones de Yucatán

See also

References

External links