40 in 40 Mason Thompson
The sinker-baller will miss all of 2024 with TJ surgery leaving his future uncertain.
Editor’s Note: This is the latest edition of our 40-man breakdown series. You can read more by clicking here.
Position: Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
Current status: Recovering from Tommy John surgery
How acquired: Acquired by the Nationals along with Jordy Barley in exchange for Daniel Hudson via trade with the Padres on July 30, 2021
2023 Grade: C+
2024 Opening Day Projection: 60-day Injured List
2023 stats: 51 G | 5 GF | 0 GS | 54.0 IP| 62 H | 4 HR | 33 ER | 22 BB | 44 SO | 5.50 ERA | 3 W | 3 L | -0.4 fWAR | -0.2 bWAR
2023 analysis: Mason Thompson, standing at 6'6" and weighing 236 lbs., achieved a record of four wins, four losses, and one save and 3 blown saves in 2023. While his ERA for the season was 5.50, his career ERA is 4.53. Additionally, he pitched 54 innings during the 2023 season. His home runs per 9 innings (HR9) dropped to a career-low of 0.67/9 as he only gave up four home runs through the entirety of 2023. When Thompson took the mound, he delivered a lot of ground balls. He avoids giving up hard hits with an average exit velocity of 86.6 mph while his teammate Kyle Finnegan’s allowed an average EV of 92.2 mph. When it comes to his pitch mix, he relies heavily on his sinker and his slider. He uses his sinker 67 percent of the time well he uses his slider 16 percent of the time followed by his curve at seven percent.
When comparing Thompson’s 2022 and 2023 seasons he begins to trend upward. While his ERA rose between the two seasons, his strikeout rate rose dramatically, and the rate at which he allowed home runs dropped. Another positive aspect of his 2023 season was that his zone swing percentage, which represents the percentage of pitches that batters swing at inside the strike zone, was 61.5% according to Statcast. Compared to the rest of the league, Thompson had the 53rd-lowest Z-Swing% of the 357 pitchers who threw at least 50 innings. This showcases Thompson’s ability to get called strikes against opposing hitters.
2024 Outlook: My prediction for 2024 is that Mason Thompson will get healthier. He was expected to be on the Nationals 40-man roster but then ended up being shut down for the entire season as he starts his journey to recovery from Tommy John surgery. He is 26 years old and has a lot to build on; he can be a big asset to the Nationals in the dugout and their bullpen. More importantly, entering the end of this 2024 season, he should be slowly starting rehabbing and getting back to the baseball fundamentals.
