Cubs Pitching Prospect Signs in Korea

Riley Thompson briefly flirted as being a potential call up option from Triple-A during the past couple years as a Cubs pitching prospect, but after becoming a free agent following the 2024 season the righty is continuing his baseball career in Korea.

Thompson was the 11th round pick of the Cubs back in 2018 out of Louisville and the righty was impressive through his first couple seasons in the minor leagues. He made 29 starts and one relief appearance in 2018-19, and posted a 3.02 ERA in 119.1 innings in A-Ball. However, the pandemic hit in 2020, the minor league season was canceled and Thompson’s development hit a wall. Then, injuries hit, costing Thompson the entire 2021 season and limiting him to only 57 innings of work in 2022.

The 28-year-old pitched at Triple-A the past two years with the Iowa Cubs and in 2024 Thompson reached a career high in innings pitched at 107.1. While Thompson has shown flashes here and there, they simply didn’t happen frequent enough and his final year in the Cubs organization ended with a 5.95 ERA in 34 total appearances, splitting time in the rotation and bullpen.

According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, Thompson has signed a one year contract with the NC Dinos in the KBO League. Thompson will reportedly earn a guaranteed $520,000, with the deal being worth up to $900,000, while also having $250,000 in incentives. So, a nice payday for Thompson, who has been in the minor leagues for the past seven years.

NC 다이노스가 12월 1일 2025시즌 새 외국인 투수로 라일리 톰슨(Riley Thompson, 1996년생, 28세 등록명 라일리)과 계약했습니다. 계약조건은 계약금 13만 달러, 연봉 52만 달러, 옵션 25만 달러 총액 90만 달러 규모입니다.https://t.co/F2ok2JgOqz pic.twitter.com/u40P7KLVPP

— 배지헌 Jiheon Pae (@jhpae117) December 1, 2024

We’ve seen plenty of pitchers who haven’t quite figured it out in the minors or have struggled at the MLB level go overseas and have something click. Hopefully that’s the case for Thompson, who at 28-years-old still has time to make changes for the better on the mound.