Former Cal Poly Mustang starting pitcher Drew Thorpe was drafted No. 61 overall by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 2022 MLB Player Draft on Sunday, July 17.
Thorpe joins teammate Brooks Lee as the second Cal Poly player drafted in this year’s draft.
The right-hander had a breakout season in 2022 as the Cal Poly ace, improving his rising draft stock with each start throughout the year.
In his first season with the Mustangs in 2020, Thorpe made four starts, going 1-1 with an ERA of 3.21 to go along with 31 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched.
After COVID-19 shut down his first year, Thorpe stepped into the ace role for Cal Poly in 2021 and ended the season with a 6-6 record, a 3.79 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 90 ⅓ innings.
He blew both of his previous years out of the water in 2022, as he finished his final season second in the nation in strikeouts (149), third in hits allowed per nine innings (5.59), sixth in WHIP (0.86) and 10th in wins (10).
For the season, the 21-year-old went 10-1 with a 2.32 ERA as the Friday starter.
As a result of this impressive season, Thorpe became the first Mustang to be named to six All-American teams. On top of this, he was a finalist for National Pitcher of the Year, a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy and made more Cal Poly history when he became the first Mustang to win Big West Pitcher of the Year.
Thorpe will go down as one of the best pitchers in Mustang history, as his 284 strikeouts are good for fourth all-time while he is tied for the program record with 15 strikeouts in one game, a feat he accomplished against UC San Diego in March.
20 total former Cal Poly players have played in the big leagues, and Thorpe will look to be the next arm to join the ranks with the Yankees.