Jake Thompson (minors01)

Jacob Matthew Thompson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 225 lb.
• School Long Beach State University
• High School Mayfair High School, Wilson High School
• Born August 8, 1989 in Downey, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Jake Thompson played in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system from 2010 to 2014.

Amateur Career

Thompson was 6-1 with a 1.33 ERA as a high school sophomore. He did not play for the school as a junior, then entered college a year early as he had already finished his high school requirements. He had a 2-5, 4.95 record as a freshman at Long Beach State. His sophomore year, he was 4-7 with a 5.61 ERA and walked only 13 in 85 innings. As a junior, he went 5-4 with a 5.16 ERA. He was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2nd round of that year's draft - a few slots ahead of Drew Smyly and Andrelton Simmons - and began his professional career that year. He was the 66th overall pick and the 4th one for Tampa Bay following three position players (Josh Sale, Justin O'Conner and Drew Vettleson). The scout was Robbie Moen.

Minors

With the Hudson Valley Renegades (2-1, 1.35, .85 WHIP) and Charlotte Stone Crabs (2-0, 2 H, 0 R in 11 IP) in 2010, he was 4-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 12 games (9 starts). Baseball America named him the #2 prospect in the New York-Penn League, right behind Carlos Perez and directly ahead of Cory Vaughn and Marcell Ozuna. He was named the 10th-best prospect in the Rays system prior to the 2011 campaign by Baseball America and did not disappoint, going 5-7 with a 2.90 ERA in 22 starts for Charlotte that year. He was 4th in the Florida State League in ERA, between Brett Lorin and Jonathan Pettibone. He did not make the Baseball America top-20 prospect list for the league this time.

He pitched for the Montgomery Biscuits in 2012 and went 7-12 with a 5.56 ERA in 25 starts, tying Jim Paduch for the most losses by a Rays minor leaguer and allowing the most hits (162) and runs (90). He also led the Southern League in defeats, while finishing 5th in hits allowed (between Dallas Beeler and Zeke Spruill), leading in earned runs allowed (77, one ahead of Dae-Eun Rhee and Cameron Bayne) and second in runs (behind Rhee). In 2013 - again with Montgomery - he was 11-10 with a 4.18 ERA. He tied for second in the SL in wins (one shy of Archie Bradley), while tying for 7th in losses. In the Rays chain, he was tied for first in losses (with Merrill Kelly) and tied with Enny Romero and Dylan Floro for 4th in wins.

He began 2014 with the Biscuits as well, going 5-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 34 appearances (one start) between them and the Triple A Durham Bulls. In his first taste of Triple A, he was 4-1 with a 3.15 mark in 24 games. He played in the Venezuelan Winter League that off-season. After not playing 2015, he returned in 2016, going 0-0 with a 2.08 mark in four indy league relief appearances.

Sources

• 2014 Rays Media Guide
• CSULB bio