Unsung Cubs bullpen hero has gone from regression candidate to big-time out-getter

Only three Chicago Cubs pitchers have appeared in more games than right-hander Trent Thornton this season. Entering Tuesday, the eight-year MLB veteran owned a 2.38 ERA that led the team among pitchers with more than 20 appearances on the year, a testament to just how reliable he's been for manager Craig Counsell.

Now, don't get me wrong. All the numbers tell a story of a guy who probably isn't getting important outs. His Baseball Savant page is a chilly sight to behold. He's above league-average only in average fastball velocity and ground ball rate - but it's that latter metric that's driven his success in 2026.

Trent Thornton's heavy ground ball tendencies have driven his success

He's inducing a ground ball more than 50 percent of the time this season - a career-high - getting hitters to make contact on top of the ball time and time again. It's no surprise the Cubs have him throwing his sinker more than three times as much as he did last year as a member of the Seattle Mariners.

Against that pitch, opponents are batting just .214 - and they're slugging around .350. His cutter and curve ball have also been far more effective this year, giving him multiple pitches he can pair with his mid-90s fastball to find success and keep hitters off-balance.

With a historically good defense behind him, Thornton has been a critical piece of Counsell's bullpen puzzle, even as the Cubs trotted out the most pitchers in the league as they battled injury after injury. There's still a roughly two-run difference between his ERA and FIP but, as we've seen in recent years with guys like Javier Assad, those pitchers can be incredibly valuable with guys like Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman locking down the infield.

Despite his success this year, I can't help but wonder if he's the odd man out once guys like Ben Brown and Justin Steele are ready to return from the IL. All the underlying metrics suggest the Cubs (and Thornton) have been lucky to find this level of success for the veteran - and I don't know if the front office will be content to roll the dice on him come October.

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