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Canuck Baseball Plus Prospect Profile: Keegan Pulford-ThorpeAn In-Depth Look at Canadian Baseball and More
Graduating Class: 2019
Primary Position: Pitcher
Team: Toronto Mets
Height: 6-4
Weight: 186 LBS
Bat: Right
Throw: Left
A Left-Handed Pitcher out of Newmarket, Ontario, is developing into one of the top pitching prospects in the country. His name is Keegan Pulford-Thorpe, and there is plenty to like about this young man.
Pulford-Thorpe comes from a family filled with athletes. His father played professional baseball for seven years in the Orioles organization. His mother was a varsity athlete at York University, and his sister is a three-time provincial champion in D1 basketball. Hockey also resonates in his family, as NHL stars Bob Pulford and Barry Ashbee are both relatives of his, on his mother’s side.
The Pulford hockey genes carried over to the 17-year-old, as he was selected by the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL draft last April. The Defenceman had always foreseen Hockey in his future, but just recently he had a change of heart, “During the summer something changed and I just totally fell in love with baseball, and I haven’t been able to get it off my mind since.”
This summer, the Toronto Mets pitcher received the news he had been selected to the Junior National Team, an opportunity to represent Canada south of the border. The experience was unforgettable for the youngster, “Well you always hear how it feels to wear your country across your chest, but you can’t fully grasp that feeling until you do. It makes everything you do on the field just that much more special and important. Every pitch, every play, you want to do it for your country.”
An experience as unique as representing Canada wouldn’t be possible without his dad, Paul Thorpe, “He’s taught me everything and guided me throughout my career, he was my first pitching coach, first catcher, first catch partner. I never played tee ball but at the age of around 6-7 I asked my dad to play baseball, and we’d always go out onto the street and play catch. He taught me my fastball, changeup, and curveball. He has so much knowledge of the game (pitching especially) and without him guarantee I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Pulford-Thorpe’s determination is off the charts, his willingness and desire to be the best separate him from the pack. “I would like to commit to an elite D1 school this summer, but my goal is the MLB and not to just be a player in the MLB, I’m striving to be a first-round draft pick, a front of the rotation guy, an all-star. My father has always preached no matter how good you are there is someone else who is better, and that’s what pushes me every day to prove that wrong.”
His mission is very much possible if he keeps up the hard work. He’s a projectable lefty with a fluid delivery. His fastball can touch up to 90MPH with tail, to go along with a sweeping curveball in the low 70’s. But if you ask the kid, he believes his most substantial asset is his mentality. “I’d say my biggest strengths as a player is my mentality on the mound, I believe I can get anyone out, also my work ethic off the field, I want to outwork everyone every day.”
His attributes as a teammate are also noteworthy, just ask his teammate Tyler Offman; “I’m very lucky to have that guy as a teammate and friend. He’s honestly one of my best friends. He’s also one of the hardest workers I know, and I can’t wait to see where it takes him. Just one of those guys you have to cheer for because you know he’s cheering for you.”
Pulford-Thorpe is a hard worker on the field and in the classroom, as he’s maintaining an 85%+ average in school. Bet on the athlete, bet on the person, the Canadian Pitcher out of Newmarket, Ontario is going places.
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