| Trent Thornton | |
| Team: | Seattle Mariners |
| Number: | 46 |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 30 September 1993 |
| Birth Place: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | March 31 |
| Debutyear: | 2019 |
| Debutteam: | Toronto Blue Jays |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Statyear: | August 13, 2024 |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 11–18 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 4.54 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 325 |
| Teams: |
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Trent Edward Thornton (born September 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Thornton graduated from Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, North Carolina,[1] and enrolled at the University of North Carolina to play college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman he had a 12–1 win–loss record with a 1.37 earned run average (ERA) in 29 games played.[2] As a sophomore he went 7–4 with a 2.73 ERA in 16 games, including 14 starts.[3] In 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[4] As a junior, he went 3–7 with a 5.08 ERA in 28 appearances (four of which were starts).[5] After his junior year, he was selected by the Houston Astros in the fifth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft and he signed.[6]
Thornton made his professional debut that season with the Low-A Tri-City Valley Cats and spent the whole season there, going 4–0 with a 3.27 ERA in 15 games (12 starts). In 2016, he played for the High-A Lancaster JetHawks and the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, compiling a combined 10–5 record with a 3.52 ERA in 24 games (21 starts), and in 2017, he pitched for Corpus Christi and the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, posting a 9–6 record and a 5.21 ERA in 25 games (23 starts) between the two clubs.[7] He spent 2018 with Fresno. He was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for June 11–17 after pitching 7 scoreless innings in which he allowed only one hit (given up with two outs in the eighth inning) to go along with two walks.[8] In 24 games (22 starts) for the Grizzlies, Thornton went 9–8 with a 4.42 ERA.[9]
On November 17, 2018, Houston traded Thornton to the Toronto Blue Jays for Aledmys Díaz.[10] The Blue Jays added him to their 40-man roster a few days later to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[11] After participating in 2019 spring training, it was announced that Thornton had made the Opening Day roster on March 26.[12] He made his MLB debut on March 31, starting against the Detroit Tigers. He produced five shutout innings, and his eight strikeouts established a new franchise record for strikeouts in an MLB debut.[13] Thornton earned his first career win on May 14 at the San Francisco Giants, allowing two runs and striking out seven in 5 innings. He also had two hits and scored two runs in the interleague game, which Toronto won 7–3.[14]
With the 2020 Toronto Blue Jays, Thornton appeared in three games, compiling a 0–0 record with 11.12 ERA and six strikeouts in 5 innings pitched.[15] In 2021 with the Blue Jays, he pitched to a 1–3 record and 4.78 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 49 innings.[16] Thornton made 32 appearances for Toronto in 2022, pitching to an 0–2 record and 4.11 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 46.0 innings of work.
On January 13, 2023, Thornton signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Blue Jays, avoiding salary arbitration.[17] Thornton was optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons to begin the 2023 season.[18] In only 4 games for Toronto, he logged a 1.69 ERA with 5 strikeouts in innings of work. Thornton was designated for assignment on July 21, 2023, following the acquisition of Génesis Cabrera from the St. Louis Cardinals.[19]
On July 26, 2023, the Blue Jays traded Thornton to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Mason McCoy.[20]