A third-round pick in the 2022 Draft out of Mercer University, Thomas’ pro debut was delayed due to a torn labrum that prematurely ended a season in which he was on pace to challenge for the NCAA Division I home run title with 17 homers through his first 42 games. Since he recovered in 2023, he has been on a rapid rise through the Athletics’ system. Starting out at Double-A Midland last season, he ended the year at Triple-A Las Vegas and inched his way closer to the big leagues, combining to hit .277 with a .906 OPS, 31 homers, 44 doubles, five triples, 15 stolen bases and 92 RBIs in 132 games between the two levels.
Thomas’ raw power that scouts raved about during his college days has translated to the professional ranks. His compact swing allows him to drive the ball to all fields with some serious force. His selectivity at the plate has improved some as he has shown capable of working counts and drawing a decent amount of walks, though the A’s would still like to see him cut down the swing-and-miss and chase a little bit more.
While some outsiders rate his arm slightly below average, the A’s view Thomas as a plus defender with a good arm that can play all three outfield spots, though he has played mostly the corners throughout his Minor League career and profiles as such at the highest level. His good speed allows him to cover plenty of ground, as well as pose a real threat on the basepaths. Seemingly on the precipice of his first Major League callup, all that is really left to do for him is bide his time until an outfield need arises.
Despite a right shoulder injury that prematurely ended a season in which he was challenging for the NCAA Division I home run title with 17 homers in 42 games, Thomas’ production was more than enough for the A’s to select him in the third round of the 2022 Draft out of Mercer University. Fully recovered from the torn labrum, he debuted in 2023 and made a case for the organization’s player of the year award, combining to hit .286/.351/.493, 18 homers, 39 doubles and 82 RBIs in 126 games between Single-A Stockton and High-A Lansing.
Thomas demonstrated a ton of raw power in his debut season, but the A’s believe he has even more to tap into. He is able to drive the ball to the opposite-field gaps with a compact swing and has also shown improvements in his selectivity at the plate with a solid ability to work counts and draw walks.
Thomas is a solid athletic outfielder with a good arm who continues to play some center field but profiles as more of a corner outfielder. He is a good runner with speed that was evident by his 25 stolen bases in ‘23. Carrying over the momentum from a strong pro debut is the key for a season that has the A’s excited about what is to follow as he advances levels.
Thomas was challenging for the NCAA Division I home run crown with 17 long balls in 42 games before a right shoulder injury that required surgery ended his season last May. Despite the injury, the A’s thought enough of the Mercer University product to take him in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft, signing him for $750,000. Still recovering from the torn labrum, he’ll look to make his pro debut in 2023 once healthy.
Thomas generates a ton of raw power thanks to a combination of bat speed and loft in his swing. He improved his selectivity and consistently was able to pounce on pitches over the plate in his last season of college. He displayed the ability to work counts and draw walks, which should help him produce solid on-base numbers. He does have some struggles against offspeed pitches and he’ll need to improve on that front.
Thomas’ athleticism is another plus, with near-plus plus speed and a strong arm that enables him to thrive in the corner outfield spots. That speed is also valuable on the basepaths. He's an intelligent runner who can swipe some bases. Set to get his pro career underway, he’ll look to soon join Kyle Lewis as the next outfielder out of Mercer to reach the big leagues.
After leading the Southern Conference with five homers in 16 games as a Mercer freshman during the shortened college season in 2020, Thomas got too aggressive at the plate and struggled throughout 2021 before starting to get back on track in the Cape Cod League. He showed more discipline this past spring before a right (throwing) shoulder injury that required surgery ended his season in early May. He showed enough to get taken in the third round, where the A’s signed him for $750,000, making him the best prospect to come out of Mercer since Kyle Lewis in 2016.
Before he got hurt, Thomas challenged for the NCAA Division I home run lead while chasing fewer pitches out of the zone and missing fewer over the plate. His right-handed swing can still get too uphill, but his combination of bat speed, strength and loft gives him well-above-average raw power. He did a better job of working counts and drawing walks, leading to optimism he'll hit for a decent average while posting a healthy on-base percentage.
One of the better athletes in the 2022 college class, Thomas is a solid-to-plus runner with arm strength to match. He has the savvy to steal bases and covers more ground than a typical right fielder. Scouts believe he perhaps has the quickness and instincts to play center field, though he didn’t get that opportunity with the Bears.
A 37th-round pick by the Orioles out of a Georgia high school in 2019, Thomas led the Southern Conference with five homers in 16 games as a Mercer freshman during the shortened college season the following spring. He got too aggressive at the plate and struggled throughout 2021 before starting to get back on track in the Cape Cod League. He's showing more discipline this spring and has played his way into the top three rounds, making him the Bears' best prospect since Kyle Lewis went 11th overall in 2016, though his season ended in early May after he injured the labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder and required surgery.
Before he got hurt, Thomas challenged for the NCAA Division I home run lead while chasing fewer pitches out of the zone and missing fewer over the plate. His right-handed swing can still get too uphill, but his combination of bat speed, strength and loft gives him well-above-average raw power. He's doing a better job of working counts and drawing walks, leading to optimism he'll hit for a decent average while posting a healthy on-base percentage.
One of the better athletes in the 2022 college class, Thomas is a solid to plus runner with arm strength to match. He has the savvy to steal bases and covers more ground than a typical right fielder. Scouts believe he has the quickness and instincts to perhaps play center field, though he hasn't gotten that opportunity with the Bears.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
