Completed Event: Baseball at San José State on May 3, 2026 , Loss , 1, to, 6
Baseball
at San José State
L 1-6
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Thornton to get MLB call-up with Mets
5/18/2026 3:42:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro
New York plans to pitch ex-GCU star Wednesday at Washington
When Zach Thornton pitched five-plus shutout innings in his first two Grand Canyon starts, it was clear that the lanky left-hander was going places. On Wednesday, that place will be Nationals Park for this MLB debut with the New York Mets.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told New York media Monday that Thornton will join the team for Wednesday's game at Washington, although he did not reveal whether the 2023 Lopes standout would start or pitch after an opener. The Mets lost starting pitcher Clay Holmes to a fractured fibula when he was struck by a line drive Friday, setting Thornton up to be GCU's 18th MLB player.
Thornton, a 6-foot-3, 170-pounder who the Mets drafted in the 2023 fifth round, did not make his pro debut until 2024 and was set back by an oblique injury in 2025.
But after showing well in two Spring Training starts (one earned run in 6 2/3 innings), Thornton continued showing his strong pitch control and versatile pitch mix for a 3.16 ERA over five Double-A starts and two Triple-A starts. His ERA actually plummeted to 2.25 over 12 innings at Triple-A Syracuse this month.
"When he was here, you could definitely dream on it," said Nathan Bannister, his GCU pitching coach. "You could definitely see the potential and the action of him throwing and working. The best thing about him is his competitiveness. He's not scared of anyone, and he wants the ball. Watching his growth, every time I saw him after a season, he improved his body and got stronger. He was always excited about a new weapon he had."
Thornton's change-up is his most improved pitch since GCU, giving him an arsenal of two- and four-seam fastballs reaching the low- to mid-90s with a slider, curve and change-up.
At GCU, the Lawrence, Kansas, native's season began with pitching 5 2/3 shutout innings on Opening Day against UC San Diego and six shutout innings against Ohio State. With a pair of four-game winning streaks, Thornton finished 9-2 to lead the Lopes in wins, ERA (3.87), innings (88 1/3) and strikeouts (91).
After that heavy load, the Mets did not pitch Thornton until 2024. Last year, Thornton posted a 7.1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over High-A and Double-A action. With a three-quarter delivery that is fluid and deceptive, Thornton only has issued 41 walks over his 177 1/3 minor-league innings.
"He earned it the way he's been throwing the ball, especially at the Triple-A level," Mendoza told New York reporters. "We like him as a lefty against this (Nationals) lineup – his ability to throw strikes, his pitchability."
Entering this season, Thornton was rated as the Mets' No. 7 minor-league prospect by The Athletic and at No. 13 by MLB Pipeline.
"The best thing I remember about him is his competitiveness, but also the ability every day to want to get better," Bannister said. "He was striving to improve throughout the whole year. His mentality was second to none."
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told New York media Monday that Thornton will join the team for Wednesday's game at Washington, although he did not reveal whether the 2023 Lopes standout would start or pitch after an opener. The Mets lost starting pitcher Clay Holmes to a fractured fibula when he was struck by a line drive Friday, setting Thornton up to be GCU's 18th MLB player.
Thornton, a 6-foot-3, 170-pounder who the Mets drafted in the 2023 fifth round, did not make his pro debut until 2024 and was set back by an oblique injury in 2025.
But after showing well in two Spring Training starts (one earned run in 6 2/3 innings), Thornton continued showing his strong pitch control and versatile pitch mix for a 3.16 ERA over five Double-A starts and two Triple-A starts. His ERA actually plummeted to 2.25 over 12 innings at Triple-A Syracuse this month.
"When he was here, you could definitely dream on it," said Nathan Bannister, his GCU pitching coach. "You could definitely see the potential and the action of him throwing and working. The best thing about him is his competitiveness. He's not scared of anyone, and he wants the ball. Watching his growth, every time I saw him after a season, he improved his body and got stronger. He was always excited about a new weapon he had."
Thornton's change-up is his most improved pitch since GCU, giving him an arsenal of two- and four-seam fastballs reaching the low- to mid-90s with a slider, curve and change-up.
At GCU, the Lawrence, Kansas, native's season began with pitching 5 2/3 shutout innings on Opening Day against UC San Diego and six shutout innings against Ohio State. With a pair of four-game winning streaks, Thornton finished 9-2 to lead the Lopes in wins, ERA (3.87), innings (88 1/3) and strikeouts (91).
After that heavy load, the Mets did not pitch Thornton until 2024. Last year, Thornton posted a 7.1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over High-A and Double-A action. With a three-quarter delivery that is fluid and deceptive, Thornton only has issued 41 walks over his 177 1/3 minor-league innings.
"He earned it the way he's been throwing the ball, especially at the Triple-A level," Mendoza told New York reporters. "We like him as a lefty against this (Nationals) lineup – his ability to throw strikes, his pitchability."
Entering this season, Thornton was rated as the Mets' No. 7 minor-league prospect by The Athletic and at No. 13 by MLB Pipeline.
"The best thing I remember about him is his competitiveness, but also the ability every day to want to get better," Bannister said. "He was striving to improve throughout the whole year. His mentality was second to none."
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