After the Trenton Thunder had finished their first half of the MLB Draft League season with a record of 19-10, they were forced to substitute great talent with supplemental replacements. The Thunder have had players from the first half team enter the MLB Draft and sign future contracts with major league teams. In the second half of the season, the roster was filled with Seniors and Graduate Level Players from colleges around the United States. The Trenton Thunder, in the second half of the season, have a record of 19-23. The pitching has dropped in performance from the first half to the second half with new acquisitions coming into the draft league. Pitching coach Ron Mahay has developed an excellent pitching staff, however, the second half results have shown deficiencies in pitching performances. JD Greeley, from Michigan State has struggled in the second half of the season with an ERA of 11.05 and 7 games appearances in from the bullpen. He was not on the Trenton Thunder in the first half of the season. The second pitcher who has struggled is Connor Godwin with a 10.80 ERA in 7 games as well. The Thunder have played from behind for most of the second half of the season, which has resulted in a losing effort most nights. Overall, Ron has done a great job developing starting pitcher Billy Morris (2.70 ERA in 10 games as a starter) and Joe Colucci (3.93 ERA in 16 games as a reliever). Josh Johnson, the hitting coach, has done an incredible job of developing MLB Draft League talent into MLB talent with his hitting philosophy and knowledge. His MLB playing and coaching experience has resonated with the Trenton Thunder. For example, he has developed top tier players like AJ Swader and Cy Turner. AJ Swader has a .364 batting average and 1.017 OPS in 34 games played. AJ has spoken to the media about his approach at the plate against left handed hitters. He explained how he looks for the release point of lefties and tracks the ball from the top of the zone to the bottom. He looks for the ball high and in, then he looks for it low and away to get the best idea of how the ball is moving and the speed of different pitches. He is a smart hitter with outstanding power to all parts of the field, with a great knowledge of the strike zone and sound plate discipline. Cy Turner has played in 37 games with a batting average of .275. The Thunder have succeeded with their impressive offensive numbers this season in batting average, OPS, and OBP. Josh Johnson, Ron Mahay, and manager Shawn Chacon have done an outstanding job of developing college and MLB draft league players into professional baseball players. I am confident that the players of the Trenton Thunder will be successful in the next steps of their careers. The Trenton Thunder are currently in fourth place in the draft league standings, 7 games back of first place from the leading Williamsport Crosscutters which eliminates them from championship contention. They just came off their last home stand of the year sweeping the West Virginia Black Bears. The Thunder will play a two game series against the Aberdeen Ironbirds, therefore concluding the 2026 MLB Draft League season. The Thunder have an overall record of 38-33, therefore, they will finish with a winning record for the first time since 2024. Stay updated for all Trenton Thunder news and notes throughout the offseason on the official website, mlbdraftleague.com.
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