2023 STS MiLB Player of the Year: Starting Pitcher
Other Articles in this Series:
Analysis by RFF
The Finalists
- Cade Horton (CHC) – Staff vote winner
- Drew Thorpe (NYY → SDP) – User vote + Pitcher DIGS winner
- Tink Hence (STL)
- Robby Snelling (SDP)
The Winner: Drew Thorpe
The mustachioed right-hander from the Yankees (now Padres) put together arguably the single most dominant statistical season by any minor-league starter in 2023:
- 14–2 record
- 2.53 ERA
- 0.98 WHIP
- 182 K : 38 BB in 139.1 IP
- Held opponents to a .183 average
Thorpe led all qualified minor-league starters in WHIP and K/BB ratio while finishing top-three in ERA and strikeouts. He did it across High-A, Double-A, and a brief Triple-A stint — and he did it with a fastball that sits just 91–94 mph.
The changeup is one of the best in the minors, the command is plus-plus, and the deception is elite. There are legitimate concerns about whether the stuff will play against big-league hitters long-term, but in 2023 there was simply no starting pitcher in the minors who was more effective, inning for inning.
2023 Scout the Statline MiLB Starting Pitcher of the Year: Drew Thorpe
Honorable mentions go to Cade Horton (the staff darling who looks like a future ace) and the electric arms of Snelling, Hence, Tiedemann, Misiorowski, and the injured-but-still-dominant Paul Skenes. This was one of the deepest pitching classes we’ve ever seen — but Thorpe’s numbers were undeniable.