Jake Thompson named International League’s Most Valuable Pitcher

I don’t think anyone’s disputing the fact that the moment Jake Thompson iced Trea Turner with a breaking pitch to end his seven-inning performance against the Nationals last night will undoubtedly be the beginning of an offensively dominant major league career. The adjustments Thompson and Bob McClure made to his delivery, which they stripped of a lot of moving parts and left as simple as could be, have kicked off an era of dangerously high expectations no athlete could possibly fulfill. Hooray!

Collecting Turner’s tears in a bottle to drink later was probably a bit much, but he’s 22. He’s still learning that things like tear-drinking and catfishing opposing hitters are frowned upon in this sport.

Anyway, with such a bright future ahead of him, it makes sense that the International League, Thompson’s old stomping grounds earlier this season (and by "stomping" I of course mean "what Jake Thompson did it opposing hitters"), are calling him the best pitcher anyone saw at their level in 2016

Just listen to them gush:

On the strength of a League-best 2.50 ERA, Lehigh Valley right-hander Jake Thompson has been named the IL Most Valuable Pitcher for 2016... having held the opposition to a mere .225 batting average in 129.2 innings pitched. He lost on May 31 to fall to 3-5 on the season before hitting his stride in June. Over the next two months, Thompson was undefeated with an IL-best eight wins and 1.21 ERA as the IronPigs surged towards a possible playoff berth.

It’s only appropriate that the afternoon following Jake Thompson’s best ever big league start, he is honored by the level of the sport which he has left behind. May his legacy forever be reaching a new level success, owning it, and moving on to bigger and better things. May his path be one of constant transcendence.