Connor Thomas Bio
Sidney Connor Thomas (born May 29, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he made his MLB debut in 2025. A former fifth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, Thomas has worked his way through the minor leagues as a starting pitcher before a brief major league stint with Milwaukee.
After being outrighted off the Brewers’ 40-man roster at the end of the 2025 season, Thomas became a free agent and signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in November 2025. He is regarded as a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher with significant strikeout upside at the upper levels of the minors.
Early Life and Background
Connor Thomas grew up in Georgia and attended Tift County High School in Tifton, where he first drew attention as a starting pitcher. As a junior in 2015, he went 8–1 with a 0.67 ERA, numbers that made him one of the more intriguing high school arms in the state. Despite that strong performance, Thomas went unselected in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft and opted to continue his career on the college stage.
Thomas enrolled at Georgia Tech, joining the Yellow Jackets’ baseball program and beginning a three-year development arc in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He initially worked out of the bullpen as a freshman before earning a full-time role in the starting rotation the following spring. His college path gave him the innings and exposure he needed to reset his draft stock after going unpicked out of high school.
Path to Baseball
Thomas’ freshman season at Georgia Tech in 2017 was a difficult adjustment, as he pitched 10+1⁄3 innings and gave up 13 earned runs. The coaching staff moved him into the starting rotation as a sophomore, and he responded by going 7–4 with a 3.34 ERA and 106 strikeouts over 97 innings across fifteen games. That breakout year established him as a draft-caliber arm heading into his junior campaign.
In 2019, his junior year, Thomas made 16 starts and compiled a 9–2 record with a 3.11 ERA over 113 innings, cementing his status as one of the top college pitchers in his class. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the fifth round, with the 155th overall pick, of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. Thomas signed with the organization and began his professional career that summer.
Connor Thomas Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Thomas made his professional debut with the State College Spikes of the Low-A New York–Penn League and was promoted to the Peoria Chiefs of the Single-A Midwest League in July 2019. Over 43 innings pitched between the two clubs, he went 4–1 with a 3.77 ERA, a solid opening to his minor league career. He did not appear in a game in 2020, however, because the minor league season was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
St. Louis Cardinals System Breakthrough (2021–2024)
Thomas began the 2021 season with the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Central, but after compiling a 4.87 ERA over 20+1⁄3 innings he was promoted to the Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A East. He took advantage of the move, going 6–4 with a 3.10 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 101+2⁄3 innings in 22 games, including 14 starts, with Memphis. That production marked his first sustained success at the upper levels of the minors.
Thomas returned to Memphis for the 2022 season and posted a 6–12 record with a 5.47 ERA and 110 strikeouts over 135 innings in 28 games, 25 of them starts. Despite the difficult regular season, he was selected to play for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League and posted a 1.75 ERA with 34 strikeouts over 25+2⁄3 innings, earning AFL Pitcher of the Year honors. The Cardinals added him to the 40-man roster on November 15, 2022, to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Thomas spent most of 2023 back at Memphis, going 5–4 with a 5.53 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 94+1⁄3 innings in 21 games, and he was designated for assignment on November 14, 2023. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on November 16. In 2024, Thomas enjoyed a bounce-back campaign, posting a 7–4 record and 2.89 ERA with 79 strikeouts and three saves in 90+1⁄3 innings across 56 appearances, showcasing both his starting and relieving value.
Milwaukee Brewers Era (2025)
On December 11, 2024, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Thomas in the Rule 5 draft, and the club announced on March 22, 2025, that he had made the Opening Day roster. He made two appearances for Milwaukee before being placed on the injured list on April 8 with left elbow arthritis. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 18, and on July 1 the team announced he would require surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, with Tommy John surgery remaining a possibility. Thomas was outrighted off the 40-man roster on October 24 and chose free agency over a minor league assignment.
Atlanta Braves Era (2025–Present)
On November 6, 2025, Thomas signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves, beginning a new chapter in his career. The deal gave him an opportunity to rebuild his stock within a new organization after an injury-marred first major league season. He will look to return to health and reestablish himself as a depth option for Atlanta’s pitching staff.
Driving Style and Strengths
Thomas is a strikeout-oriented pitcher whose swing-and-miss stuff has played at every minor league level, including 110 strikeouts across 135 innings in 2022 and 92 punchouts in 101+2⁄3 innings in 2021. He has shown the ability to work as both a starter and a reliever, evidenced by his 56 appearances and three saves in 2024. His competitive approach and durability through long stretches of innings remain central to his profile.
Notable Events and Milestones
Thomas’ signature accomplishment came after the 2022 season, when he was named Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year with the Salt River Rafters. He also made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2025, a milestone that came after being selected in the Rule 5 draft. His career has been marked by resilience, bouncing back from a 6–12 record in 2022 to earn AFL honors and then again rebounding in 2024 before reaching the majors.
Connor Thomas Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Connor Thomas’ family background is limited. He is identified as an American professional pitcher who grew up in Georgia and developed his game at Tift County High School before continuing at Georgia Tech.
Personal Life
Details of Thomas’ personal life, including marital status and family, are not publicly documented in verified sources. His social media presence, including an account on X under the handle @sct_thomas, reflects his continued connection to his roots as a Georgia native.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marked Connor Thomas’ first taste of Major League Baseball after the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the Rule 5 draft and kept him on their Opening Day roster. He made two MLB appearances before a left elbow issue forced him onto the injured list in early April. The injury quickly escalated, with the Brewers transferring him to the 60-day injured list in May and announcing in July that he would need surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow.
Thomas did not return to the major league mound in 2025, and his season was defined by recovery and uncertainty around whether Tommy John surgery would ultimately be required. The Brewers outrighted him off the 40-man roster on October 24, and he elected free agency rather than accept a minor league assignment. He quickly landed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves on November 6, giving him a fresh opportunity to rebuild his value within a new organization.