Tommy Sommer

Thomas Juergen Sommer

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 220 lb.

• School Indiana University Bloomington
• High School Carmel (IN) High School

• Born September 25, 1998 in Columbus, OH USA (BR Register lists Carmel, IN as his birthplace; 2022 White Sox Media Guide says Columbus, OH)

BR register page

Biographical Information

Tommy Sommer has pitched in the minors and for the German national team.

Sommer's father Juergen was one of the greatest soccer goalie in Indiana University history. Tommy was All-State in high school. He was 2-2 with a save and a 3.07 ERA as a college freshman, then 4-3 with a save and a 3.40 ERA as a sophomore. He had a 2-1, 2.61 record when his junior season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning to Indiana in 2021, he was 5-4 with a 4.60 ERA, fanning 69 in 62 2/3 IP.

The Chicago White Sox took him in the tenth round of the 2021 amateur draft; the signing scout was Justin Wechsler. He was 0-1 with a 2.16 ERA for the 2021 ACL White Sox, with a .80 WHIP and 33 K in 25 IP. He split '22 between the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (4-5, 2.75) and Winston-Salem Dash (2-2, 2.64), striking out 129 in 123 innings and allowing only 92 hits (a .208 average). He was third in the ChiSox chain in strikeouts (behind Sean Burke and Jason Bilous) and had the best ERA of their starting pitchers.

Tommy then pitched for Germany in the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers. His grandparents had been German and his father had gotten a German passport to play soccer in Europe, encouraging Tommy to get one as well. He did not fare well in his one outing, finishing with the team's highest ERA. He started against the Czech national team in an elimination game. Germany staked him to a 3-0 lead against Daniel Padyšák but he failed to hold on to it. He walked Vojtěch Menšík, allowed a homer to Petr Zýma, struck out Marek Chlup, yielded a dinger to Martin Červenka then whiffed Matěj Menšík and got Martin Mužík on a grounder. Michael Bienlien took over for him in the second and Germany went on to lose.