P | Bats/Throws: R/L | 6' 0" 199 lbs | Age: 22
Draft: 2025 | Rd. 2, No. 59, Milwaukee Brewers | Vanderbilt
MLB Pipeline Rank
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Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Though he was a lefty with some of the best pitchability in Texas' 2022 high school class, Thompson lacked the physicality and present stuff to prod teams to try to buy him away from his Vanderbilt commitment. Three years later, he's still 6 feet tall and still doesn't light up radar guns, but he's one of the better southpaws in the college crop. He's serving as the Commodores' Friday-night starter in 2025 and could land in the top two or three rounds.

Though Thompson's fastball camps at 90-93 mph and tops out at 95, it ranks near the top of college baseball in terms of getting strikes, chases and swings and misses both inside and outside of the strike zone. His heater features significant induced vertical break, and he also can command it to both sides of the plate. His second-best offering is a 77-81 mph sweeping slider that he uses primarily against lefties and can back-foot versus righties.

Thompson also can miss bats with his mid-70s curveball and low-80s changeup with mild fade but has more difficulty landing them for strikes. He has little effort in his delivery and repeats it well, so he could develop above-average control. He comes with a high floor as a No. 4 starter and might be better than that if his fastball continues to thrive at the next level.


2025

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Though he was a lefty with some of the best pitchability in Texas' 2022 high school class, Thompson lacked the physicality and present stuff to prod teams to try to buy him away from his Vanderbilt commitment. Three years later, he's still 6 feet tall and still doesn't light up radar guns, but he was one of the better southpaws in the 2025 college crop. He served as the Commodores' Friday-night starter in 2025, and the Brewers took him in the second round, signing him for slot value at $1,560,200.

Though Thompson's fastball camped at 90-93 mph and topped out at 95, it ranked near the top of college baseball in terms of getting strikes, chases and swings and misses both inside and outside of the strike zone. His heater features significant induced vertical break, and he also can command it to both sides of the plate. His second-best offering is a 77-81 mph sweeping slider that he uses primarily against lefties and can back-foot versus righties.

Thompson also can miss bats with his mid-70s curveball and low-80s changeup with mild fade but has more difficulty landing them for strikes. He has little effort in his delivery and repeats it well, so he could develop above-average control. He comes with a high floor as a No. 4 starter and might be better than that if his fastball continues to thrive at the next level.


Transactions

Team Date Transaction
08/04/2025 ACL Brewers activated LHP J.D. Thompson.
07/25/2025 LHP J.D. Thompson assigned to ACL Brewers.
07/24/2025 Milwaukee Brewers signed LHP J.D. Thompson.
06/03/2025 LHP J.D. Thompson assigned to College Workout.
02/05/2025 LHP J.D. Thompson assigned to Vanderbilt Commodores.
06/04/2024 LHP J.D. Thompson assigned to Bourne Braves.
02/25/2024 LHP J.D. Thompson assigned to Vanderbilt Commodores.
02/08/2023 LHP J.D. Thompson assigned to Vanderbilt Commodores.
07/13/2021 PG National 6 - Navy activated LHP JD Thompson.