Tyler Thornton has been named to the Frontier League All-Star Game to represent the Windy City ThunderBolts. The game, which will be played in Rockland on July 10, will pit the best players from the Frontier League against the stars of the CanAm League.
Thornton is 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA through six games, including five starts. He has 36 strikeouts and only eight walks and ranks tenth in the league with a 1.06 WHIP. He was especially dominant to open the season, allowing only one run through his first four starts.
On May 29, he threw seven shutout innings against the Joliet Slammers, allowing only five hits and no walks while striking out a season-high eight. That performance netted him the Frontier League Pitcher of the Week award.
After beginning his career by making four starts last season for the Traverse City Beach Bums, Thornton joined the ThunderBolts during the offseason for his first full professional campaign. He is one of only two rookies selected to the Frontier League team in this year’s all-star game, the first ever between the two independent leagues.
Thornton’s selection makes him the sixth Windy City pitcher in the last five years to make an all-star game. The Bolts have had at least one pitcher selected each year since 2015.
The all-star festivities kick off with the home run derby at Palisades Credit Union Park, home of the CanAm’s Rockland Boulders, on Tuesday, July 9. The game will follow on Wednesday, July 10 at 6:00.