T-Bolts Banter

Spring Training Ends, the Seasons Begin; and Whither the Thunderbolts in the Pros

With the the Major League Baseball season underway, the Minor Leagues scheduled to begin in two weeks, and the Independent Leagues slated to open in late May, it’s time to take stock of where former Thunderbolts are who play professional baseball.

This information comes from the T-Bolts in the Pros section of the Silver-Spring Takoma Thunderbolts website, tbolts.org. The site has been updated for 2025 and will continue to be changed as players move up, move down, or move out.

As of now, the former Thunderbolt at the highest level of professional ball is Matt Mervis, a Duke product from Washington, D.C. who graced the team in 2016 with 15 games in which he hit .411 and drove in 21 runs. The big infielder was called back to Duke for classes and training so he never got to play a full season for the Red, White, and Blue. Matt, below as a Thunderbolt.

Matt was drafted by the Nationals but signed with the Chicago Cubs. After a stellar three-year career at all levels of the minors, he was called up to Wrigley in 2023 and played in 27 games and mustered a .167 average. He did hit three home runs and drive in 11, but the Cubs sent him down to Iowa.

Matt began 2024 in Iowa but was called up again where he played just nine games with 26 ABs and hit .115. He was sent down for the remainder of the season.

But late last year, Mervis, who goes by the nickname of “Mash,” was traded to the Miami Marlins, giving him a fresh start. He’s playing in a ballpark where the ball carries well, which is perfect for a power hitter like Mervis. He had a good spring, hitting four home runs with eight RBIs.

He was in the Marlins’ lineup for Opening Day and went 0-4. We’ll follow Matt as he continues his career in Miami, and hopefully, it all comes together for the former Thunderbolt.

As far as the other Thunderbolts, two are in AAA, two are at High Level A, two are in the MLB Draft League, one in Independent League baseball, and five are playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

Four former Thunderbolts who played professionally last season are out of baseball—Errol Robinson (2013), Ian Jenkins and Connor Kelly (2022) and Jaren Zinn (2018-2019). All were released by their former teams. Ian Jenkins, below, as an Oakland Baller.

Here’s the detailed rundown:

JACKSON BALZAN (2021)
Jackson returns for a second season with the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League. In 2024 for Trenton, he was 3-2 with an excellent 2.89 ERA in 24 games. He had nine starts, walking 29 and striking out 67. The Seton Hall product, who also pitched at Salisbury, went 0-0 with the Thunderbolts, posting a 2.70 ERA. He appeared in three games, starting two, and gave up just three earned runs while walking seven and striking out ten.

EVAN BLUM (2019) Evan begins his second season as a catcher with the Billings (MT) Mustangs of the independent Pioneer League. Last season, he hit .301 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs in 42 games. For the Thunderbolts, he batted .389 in four games before an injury put an end to a promising season. After completing his college career on teams at Holy Cross and Georgetown, Evan went professional in 2023 with the Maryville Drakes of the independent Pecos League. There, he hit .340 in 43 games with 55 RBIs including 11 doubles, five triples, and two home runs.

CHIH-YUAN LAI (2016)
Lai is pitching currently for the Fubon Guardians of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He was drafted in the 2018 CPBL draft by the Lamigo (now Rakuten) Monkeys. Overall, for the Monkeys, he has appeared in 112 games and had a 6-3 record over 110.2 innings pitched with a 4.15 ERA. In 2016, he went 4-1 for the Thunderbolts with a 2.64 ERA, striking out 33 and walking only three over 37 innings.

BRENDAN COLLINS (2019)
Brendan will return to the Washington Nationals High A Affiliate Wilmington Blue Rocks in the South Atlantic League for a third season. Last year he was a workhorse for the Blue Rocks throwing 54.1 innings and going 2-2 with a 3.50 ERA. He walked 32 and struck out 64. He was drafted in the 17th round by the Washington Nationals in 2021, and pitched in the Appalachian League, the Florida Complex League, the FCL Nationals, and the Fredericksburg (Va.) Nationals in the A Level Carolina League. For the Thunderbolts, he appeared in ten games and had a 2-2 record. He gave up just seven hits in 17 innings and struck out 28.

NICK DUNN (2015)
Nick signed a free agent minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners after being released last year from the Memphis Redbirds, a St. Louis Cardinals AAA affiliate. Nick was assigned to the Mariners AAA affiliate Tacoma Rainiers after playing at the Mariners spring training camp as a non-roster invitee. Last season for the Redbirds, he hit .316 with 19 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 42 RBIs. He played in both the New York-Penn and the Midwest Leagues, and in 2022, Dunn appeared in 112 games for the Springfield Cardinals of the AA Texas League, hitting .271 with seven home runs and 44 RBI. For the Thunderbolts, he hit .321 (fourth highest in the League) with seven doubles, three triples, and 17 RBIs in 31 games. He was an All-Star selection that season.

EN-SIH HUANG (2015)
En-Sih Huang pitches for the CTBC Brothers in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. From 2019-2024, he pitched in 69 games going 17-11. In 2024, he went 2-0 in 19 games with a 1.80 ERA, walking only seven batters in 20 innings. This past season, En-Sih was on the 2024 Chinese Taipei team that won the Premier12 International Baseball Tournament. For the Thunderbolts in 2015, he went 4-2 with a 2.12 ERA. His best outing came against the Baltimore Redbirds at Blair where he threw eight innings, allowing only two runs on five hits, walking two and striking out 13 en route to a 4-2 victory. He was named to the All-Star team where he pitched one inning, allowing no runs, no hits, no walks, and one strikeout.

HUEI-SHENG LIN (2017-2018)
Huei-Sheng is pitching for the CTCB Brothers in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. He had signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent in 2019 but was released in 2022. He has played in both Rookie Leagues and Class A ball. He also pitched for the Rocky Mountain Vibes of the independent Pioneer League and the Auckland Tuatara in the Australian Baseball League. In the Los Angeles Dodgers system, he reached Class A with Rancho Cucamonga in the California League. In 2017, he went 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA, and in 2018, he went 3-2 with a 3.30 ERA, both seasons appearing in seven games.

TANNER JACOBSON (2019)
Tanner was drafted by the St Louis Cardinals in the tenth round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from Queens University of Charlotte (NC). He is in his second season with the High A Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League. In 2024, he pitched in 40 games with a 4.08 ERA and 75 strikeouts. The righthander went 0-2 for the T-Bolts in 2019, appearing in six games of which five were starts. He pitched 18.1 innings and had a 7.85 ERA. He began his pro career in 2022 with St Louis, and last season, posted a 4-2 record with Palm Beach in the Class A Florida State League.

KUAN-WEI CHEN (2016)
Kuan-Wei begins his fifth season pitching for the Wei Chuan Dragons in Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). Over 192 games, he established a 14-12 record with a remarkable 45 saves. In 182 innings, he posted a 2.23 ERA. Kuean-Wei was a member of the 2024 Chinese Taipei team that won the Premier12 International Baseball Tournament. He also pitched for Chinese Taipei in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Kuan-Wei threw just one inning for the Thunderbolts in 2016, giving up three runs on two hits, walking one and striking out one. He did not figure in the decision.

YUNG-CHEN LU (2018)
Yung-Chen is pitching for the Wei Chuan Dragons in Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League. He has appeared in 80 games over three seasons and has compiled a 5-3 record with one save and a 2.57 ERA. went 2-0 with the Thunderbolts in 2018 with a 4.20 ERA in 17 innings pitched. He appeared in nine games, starting one, and struck out 18 while walking five. He was named to the Chinese Taipei team that earned a spot in next year’s World Cup of Baseball. In the qualifying series, he pitched in two games, going 3.2 innings, yielding three runs, walking one, and striking out five.

MATT MERVIS (2016)
Matt Mervis began 2025 with the Miami Marlins after a trade late last year between the Marlins and the Chicago Cubs. Matt made his Major League debut with the Cubs in 2023 after a three-year career in the minors. He was optioned back to the Iowa Cubs after one month and finished his season in the minors. He started with Iowa in 2024 but was recalled by Chicago and played nine games. Again, he was sent back to Iowa where he remained for 2024. While playing for Duke University, Matt took part in 16 games for the Thunderbolts, hitting an eye-popping .411 with 21 RBIs.

LUKE RETTIG (2019)
Luke is in his second season with the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League. He split last season with the Thunder and the Billings (MT) Mustangs of the independent Pioneer League which is a partner league of Major League Baseball. In two seasons at Trenton, he went 8-3 with a combined ERA of 2.48. As a Thunderbolt, the southpaw pitcher went 1-2 with a 3.77 ERA in 31 innings pitched over seven games. He struck out 32 and did not allow a home run. As a pitcher for Lehigh, his best season was in 2022 when he went 8-2 with a 2.40 ERA in 13 games. He also pitched in the South Florida Collegiate Baseball League and the New England Collegiate Baseball League.

COREY ROSIER (2018-2019)
Corey plays for the Boston Red Sox AAA affiliate Worcester (MA) Red Sox. Last season, he split time between the Woo Sox and the AA Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League. He was drafted in the 12th round of the 2021 Major League Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He spent 2021 playing for four Seattle farm teams in Rookie and A Leagues before being traded to the San Diego Padres. In 2022, he played for the Padres Class A Advanced Fort Wayne Tincaps, then was traded again to the Boston Red Sox. He was assigned to the Greenville Drive of the Advanced A South Atlantic League. In two minor league seasons, he hit .275 with ten home runs and 64 RBIs. For the Thunderbolts over two seasons, Corey hit a combined .266 with five doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 26 RBIs. He also stole 13 bases.

As always, visit the website for the latest information on the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts as well as T-Bolts in the Pros.