Zack Thornton


Zachary James Thornton is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He is currently the pitching Coach for the Santa Barbara Foresters. Thornton throws a 91 mph sinker, an 84 mph slider, and an 84 mph changeup.
Pitching for Oak Park High School, Thornton was All-State in California. At Ventura College, in 2008 he was 11–1 and was First Team all-SoCal and named to the Western State Conference North Team. Transferring to the University of Oregon, in his senior year in 2010 he was 9–0 and was named Pac-10 honorable mention. The Oakland Athletics selected Thornton in the 23rd round of the 2010 MLB draft, and he signed. In 2011, Thornton was a Midwest League All Star. In 2013, he was named a MiLB.com Pittsburgh Pirates Organization All-Star. In 2015, he was named the Venezuelan Winter League's Setup Pitcher of The Year. He pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Early life

Thornton was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Oak Park, California. His parents are James and Robin Thornton, and he has a brother named Sam.

High school

He attended and graduated in 2006 from Oak Park High School in Oak Park, California. Pitching for the baseball team, Thornton was All-State, all-California Interscholastic Federation, and all-Tri-Valley League.

College

Thornton enrolled at Ventura College. He pitched for the baseball team in 2007 and 2008. In his sophomore year he was 11–1 with a 1.12 ERA in 89 innings, and was named to the First Team all-SoCal Team and the Western State Conference North Team. The San Francisco Giants selected Thornton in the 43rd round of the 2008 MLB draft, but he opted not to sign.
He transferred to the University of Oregon, to continue his college career with the Oregon Ducks. In his junior year in 2009, Thornton suffered a right shoulder injury, which he had surgically corrected, releasing the capsule to allow his shoulder to have unhindered internal rotation. In his senior year in 2010 he was 9–0 with a 3.40 ERA in 90 innings in which he struck out 73 batters and walked 16, and was named Pac-10 honorable mention. The Oakland Athletics selected Thornton in the 23rd round of the 2010 MLB draft, and he signed.

Minor leagues

Thornton pitched in 2010 for the AZL Athletics of the Rookie Arizona League and the Vancouver Canadians of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League.
In 2011, Thornton had a 5–4 win–loss record, a 2.39 earned run average, and 82 strikeouts in 83 innings for the Burlington Bees of the Class A Midwest League, and made one appearance for the Midland RockHounds of the AA Texas League. At mid-season, he appeared in the Midwest League All-Star Game. He pitched for the Stockton Ports of the Class A-Advanced California League in 2012, going 4–0 with 16 saves and a 4.53 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 53.2 innings. The Athletics traded Thornton to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 2012 season for pitcher Chris Resop.
In the 2013 season, Thornton pitched for the Bradenton Marauders of the A+ Florida State League, the Altoona Curve of the AA Eastern League, and the Indianapolis Indians of the AAA International League. He was a combined 7–3 with 5 saves and a 2.63 ERA, and recorded 90 strikeouts to 12 walks in 75.1 innings, as he kept opponents to a.204 batting average. His 31 strikeouts and 4 walks in AAA for a 7.75 K/BB ratio was fourth-best among International League pitchers with at least 25 innings pitched. He was named a MiLB.com Pittsburgh Pirates Organization All-Star. He pitched for the Scottsdale Scorpions in 2013 in the Arizona Fall League, where he had a 3.07 ERA. He was considered a potential selection in the 2013 Rule 5 draft, but he was not selected.
Thornton began the 2014 season with the Indianapolis Indians, going 2–0 with a 1.23 ERA. On April 18, 2014, the Pirates traded Thornton and a player to be named later to the New York Mets for first baseman Ike Davis. Thornton pitched as a reliever for the Las Vegas 51s of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, going 1–5 with a 4.22 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 59.2 innings. He then pitched in three games for Navegantes del Magallanes in the 2015 Venezuelan Winter League.
In 2015, he pitched again for Las Vegas, going 4–4 with a 3.94 ERA in 63 games. That winter Thornton again pitched for Navegantes del Magallanes, and was named the Venezuelan Winter League's Setup Pitcher of The Year. In 2016, he pitched again for Las Vegas, going 0–3 with a 7.03 ERA. He became a free agent in November 2016.
In 2017, he pitched for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League. In 47 relief appearances, he was 2-4 with 2 saves and a 3.63 ERA. He became a free agent after the season.

Team Israel; World Baseball Classic

On February 1, 2017, Thornton wrote on Twitter: "I'm excited to announce that I will be playing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic!" He pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic in March 2017.