Minor League Baseball

Kansas City Royals Sign Former Blue Jays Pitcher Thomas Hatch to Minor League Deal

Thomas Hatch, who suited up with the Toronto Blue Jays for four seasons, has been given a chance to revive his career in the Kansas City Royals' minor league system.
Sam Connon|
Bradenton, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Thomas Hatch (31) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training at LECOM Park.
Bradenton, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Thomas Hatch (31) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training at LECOM Park. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

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Kansas City RoyalsToronto Blue Jays

The Kansas City Royals have signed right-handed pitcher Thomas Hatch to a minor league contract, the team announced Friday.

Hatch has been invited to the Royals' big league spring training camp as part of the deal. He and the rest of Kansas City's pitchers will report to Surprise, Arizona, on Feb. 12.

The 30-year-old swingman spent 2024 with the Hiroshima Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Hatch was the Chicago Cubs' third round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. He was eventually traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for veteran reliever David Phelps at the 2019 deadline.

Entering the 2020 season, Hatch was ranked as the No. 24 prospect in the Blue Jays' farm system. He made his big league debut later that year.

Hatch went 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA, 1.177 WHIP and a 0.7 WAR as a rookie, but he failed to match that production in ensuing seasons. From 2021 to 2023, Hatch went 1-3 with a 6.33 ERA, 1.781 WHIP and -0.4 WAR at the MLB level, ultimately getting selected off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Last year in Japan, Hatch went 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA and 1.727 WHIP with the Carp. While playing for their minor league affiliate in the Western League, however, he went 5-4 with a 2.36 ERA and 0.995 WHIP.

Hatch could compete for an Opening Day roster spot in Kansas City, but his 153 games of experience in the minors make him a solid candidate to provide organizational depth in 2025.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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