Keegan Thompson

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #28 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Thompson was Auburn's ace the moment he stepped foot on campus as a freshman, but missed his junior year after having Tommy John surgery and his stuff wasn't as crisp when he returned. The Cubs still drafted him in the third round in 2017 and signed him for $511,900. Thompson moved quickly to Double-A in his first full season, but he made only one start in 2019 before going on the injured list with elbow inflammation and received a platelet-rich plasma injection. He returned to pitch well in the Arizona Fall League and spent 2020 at the alternate training site.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thompson is the proverbial bulldog on the mound who stays on the attack, fills up the strike zone and doesn't give in. His stuff is modest with a 90-93 mph fastball, above-average 85-87 mph slider, average 79-81 mph curveball and average 83-85 mph changeup, but he expertly sequences his pitches to keep hitters off balance. He moves the ball around the strike zone with plus control and avoids self-induced mistakes like walks, hit batters and wild pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Cubs added Thompson to the 40-man roster after the 2020 season. If healthy, he has a chance to make his major league debut in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #29 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Thompson and system-mate Trevor Clifton combined to help USA Baseball's 16U team win a gold medal in 2011 and repeated the feat two years later with the 18U squad. After four years with Auburn (including a Tommy John surgery), Thompson was drafted and made quick work of the competition in the short-season Northwest League.
  
  Scouting Report: Thompson doesn't have a knockout pitch, so he relies on pitchability to get his outs. His fastball sits at around 91 mph and touches 93, but it doesn't have a whole lot of movement. That's especially true if he misses up with the pitch, though it does have some carry through the zone. Scouts pegged both breaking balls as potential above-average pitches because of his ability to spin them, though he needs to be more consistent with their release points. His changeup is a fringe-average pitch.
  
  The Future: Thompson made it to Double-A in his first full season as a pro and has the ceiling of a back-end starter.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #14 prospect in 2018
  A decorated amateur, Thompson has the pitchability to move through the Cubs system quickly. He teamed with fellow Cubs farmhand Trevor Clifton to help USA Baseball's 16U national team win a world championship in 2011 and won gold again in 2012 with the 18U club. He wasn't drafted out of high school and spent four seasons at Auburn, missing a year due to Tommy John surgery but logging 252.2 innings and retaining excellent control after surgery (1.6 walks per nine innings in 2017). Thompson could start or relieve with his aggressiveness and four-pitch mix. He had a plus curve before surgery, but some scouts like his slider better now. He's got two average or better, distinct breaking balls with a feel for locating his spin, and he pounds the zone and an out with an average 89-92 mph fastball that touched 94-95 in shorter bursts after signing. His changeup also earns average grades. Moreover, Thompson is advanced at setting hitters up, making the right pitch at the right time and never giving in. Scouts laud his competitiveness, and he has a professional routine. Thompson will be 23 in 2018 and should be pushed, likely to high Class A Myrtle Beach.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #124 prospect in 2017 draft
  A native of Cullman, Ala., Thompson is old for the class as he missed his junior year last spring due to Tommy John surgery. He's been Auburn's de facto ace since stepping on campus as a freshman in 2014, during which he played both ways as a pitcher and first baseman, posting a rotation-best 2.01 ERA. Injury limited Thompson somewhat his sophomore year before his torn UCL wiped out his junior year entirely. But Thompson has bounced back nicely this spring, going 6-4 with a 2.43 ERA and 66 strikeouts to just 16 walks in 85.1 innings to anchor the Tigers' rotation. Thompson missed a couple of weekends on the mound, and his stuff hasn't come all the way back, at times sitting 87-90 mph, while other times working 90-93. While Thompson isn't as explosive as he was early in his college career, he has plus pitching feel and poise as well as above-average command. He shows a plus breaking ball and has feel for his changeup, throwing all of his pitches for strikes. Thompson could be a quick mover at the pro level due to his age and polish, but there's risk with his injury history.
• Ranked #232 prospect in 2016 draft
  Thompson was an Alabama fan who chose Auburn out of high school after a decorated prep career. He was the ace of two tumultuous teams under coach Sunny Golloway, then missed 2016 after having Tommy John surgery late in the 2015 season. Thompson hit 95 mph with his fastball as a freshman in relief but sits more 89-91 with good fastball command. The pitch lacks life at times and he has to be fine with it. He knows how to set up hitters and has a plus curveball when he's healthy as well as a solid-average changeup and feel for pitching. Thompson profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter, as long as his stuff and command come back post-surgery.
• Ranked #186 prospect in 2013 draft
  Thompson has one of the draft's better curveballs and track records. He starred for USA Baseball's 16-and-under team in 2011, helping the team win a gold medal with a 12-strikeout complete game against Cuba. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder has improved since then, yet scouts weren't falling over each other to see Thompson this spring. His over-the-top delivery produces a high arm slot and helps him break off snapdragon curveballs that earn 60 present grades on the 20-80 scouting scale. He throws strikes with his fastball, which comes in at 87-92 mph. Thompson's velocity has remained steady, but it lacks life thanks to his high slot. He throws a straight changeup as well as a slider that is more of an early-count offering. Thompson has some feel for pitching but not enough fastball for the first round, and he may not be signable past that point due to a strong commitment to Auburn.

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Thompson was Auburn's ace the moment he stepped foot on campus as a freshman, but missed his junior year after having Tommy John surgery and his stuff wasn't as crisp when he returned. The Cubs still drafted him in the third round in 2017 and signed him for $511,900. Thompson moved quickly to Double-A in his first full season, but he made only one start in 2019 before going on the injured list with elbow inflammation and received a platelet-rich plasma injection. He returned to pitch well in the Arizona Fall League and spent 2020 at the alternate training site.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thompson is the proverbial bulldog on the mound who stays on the attack, fills up the strike zone and doesn't give in. His stuff is modest with a 90-93 mph fastball, above-average 85-87 mph slider, average 79-81 mph curveball and average 83-85 mph changeup, but he expertly sequences his pitches to keep hitters off balance. He moves the ball around the strike zone with plus control and avoids self-induced mistakes like walks, hit batters and wild pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Cubs added Thompson to the 40-man roster after the 2020 season. If healthy, he has a chance to make his major league debut in 2021.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Thompson was Auburn's ace the moment he stepped foot on campus as a freshman, but missed his junior year after having Tommy John surgery and his stuff wasn't as crisp when he returned. The Cubs still drafted him in the third round in 2017 and signed him for $511,900. Thompson moved quickly to Double-A in his first full season, but he made only one start in 2019 before going on the injured list with elbow inflammation and received a platelet-rich plasma injection. He returned to pitch well in the Arizona Fall League and spent 2020 at the alternate training site.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thompson is the proverbial bulldog on the mound who stays on the attack, fills up the strike zone and doesn't give in. His stuff is modest with a 90-93 mph fastball, above-average 85-87 mph slider, average 79-81 mph curveball and average 83-85 mph changeup, but he expertly sequences his pitches to keep hitters off balance. He moves the ball around the strike zone with plus control and avoids self-induced mistakes like walks, hit batters and wild pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Cubs added Thompson to the 40-man roster after the 2020 season. If healthy, he has a chance to make his major league debut in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Thompson was Auburn's ace the moment he stepped foot on campus as a freshman, but missed his junior year after having Tommy John surgery and his stuff wasn't as crisp when he returned. The Cubs still drafted him in the third round in 2017 and signed him for $511,900. Thompson moved quickly to Double-A in his first full season, but he made only one start in 2019 before going on the injured list with elbow inflammation and received a platelet-rich plasma injection. He returned to pitch well in the Arizona Fall League and spent 2020 at the alternate training site.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thompson is the proverbial bulldog on the mound who stays on the attack, fills up the strike zone and doesn't give in. His stuff is modest with a 90-93 mph fastball, above-average 85-87 mph slider, average 79-81 mph curveball and average 83-85 mph changeup, but he expertly sequences his pitches to keep hitters off balance. He moves the ball around the strike zone with plus control and avoids self-induced mistakes like walks, hit batters and wild pitches.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Cubs added Thompson to the 40-man roster after the 2020 season. If healthy, he has a chance to make his major league debut in 2021.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Thompson has zoomed to Double-A just a year after the Cubs made him their third-round pick out of Auburn. Thompson’s fastball sits in the low 90s, and the Cubs are working with him to add more movement to his two-seam fastball. Both his curveball and slider flash above-average, but need more consistency. The Cubs are focused on getting him to induce more grounders as he moves up the ladder.