The lefty from Texas was drafted 42nd-overall by the Rockies in 2024
14. Jared Thomas (413 points, 28 ballots)
Thomas went 42nd-overall to the Rockies as a draft-eligible sophomore, signing for an under-slot $2 million. He got that bonus due to excellent bat-to-ball skills, some emerging power, and above-average speed that gives him a high floor offensively. The 21-year-old, 6’2” lefty spent most of his time defensively at Texas playing first base, but he clearly profiles as an outfielder as a professional — in center or in left.
After a freshman year where he hit a strong .321/.398/.484, Thomas traded some contact for power for his draft year. Though his strikeouts increased from 15% to 21% of his plate appearances, Thomas also saw his home runs quadruple from 4 to 16 — a part of an increase in slugging percentage of 151 points. His 2024 college line in 291 PA was .349/.435/.635 with 35 extra-base-hits, and he was a perfect 18/18 on steals.
Once he signed, Thomas went to Low-A Fresno, where he was 1.1 years younger than league average. He had an excellent first eight games, hitting .333/.389/.546 with two homers in 36 PA (146 wRC+) while playing in the outfield, before he went down with a quad injury in mid-August.
Here’s some video of Thomas at Fresno in 2024, including some slo-mo looks at the swing in the back half:
Jeffrey Paternostro of Baseball Prospectus ranked Thomas 12th in their recent system ranking:
[Thomas] had some model friendly traits (young for his class, year-over-year power gains and only two-years in college ball), but also fares well from a more traditional scouting approach. Thomas is an above-average runner with a pretty, gap-to-gap, line-drive swing. He should stick in center field and has shown above-average bat-to-ball skills with enough power to be a regular there. He may have some platoon issues and he isn’t a lock to stick in center, so there is some tweener risk, but he’s a high-probability major leaguer in some form (and not just because the Rockies always give their own guys 1000 MLB PA almost no matter what).
Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Thomas 80th before the draft and he placed Thomas 10th in the system this week:
Thomas had a breakout year as a draft-eligible sophomore at Texas after he lowered his hands — just as Condon did — and started making much more solid contact, hitting .349/.435/.635 for the Longhorns with 18 steals in 18 attempts. He had a solid debut in Low A before a quad injury ended his season after just eight games. He’s an above-average or better runner with 55 power, more of a hard line-drive guy than a big power guy, although in Coors he could be a 20/20 player with good defense in center. His one weakness in college was a tendency to chase pitches outside of the zone, and if he cuts that down to a manageable level, he’s a future regular with a 55 ceiling.
Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs had Thomas 48th among draft prospects, then ranked him 23rd in the system as a 40 FV player last month:
Thomas has an ideal baseball frame at a super projectable 6-foot-2; he has above-average power to both gaps and is going to grow into more. His dynamic low-ball swing plays best when Thomas’ bat path is vertical; it tends to be too long when he has to flatten it out to catch fastballs away from him. His power can be neutered in the down-and-away part of the strike zone. Barring the shortening up of Thomas’ swing, what were average college contact rates will likely translate to below-average rates in pro ball, but he might grow into enough power for that to be alright. At Texas, Thomas played center field, left field, and first base. His reads in the outfield aren’t very good and unless they improve, his arm forces him to left. Thomas only has the two years of college experience, so it’s worth a shot to continue things in center for at least a little while, and the Rockies played him in left and center during his brief pro debut. Thomas’ realistic ceiling is as a power-over-hit 1B/LF platoon bat, and he requires a little more projection than is typical of a college hitter.
MLB.com, who ranked Thomas 60th in their draft rankings, slotted Thomas 11th in the org as a 45 FV player during the 2024 season with a 60 Field and 55 Hit grade:
Thomas has good feel for the barrel and doesn’t try to do too much at the plate, letting his pretty left-handed swing work for him. He traded some contact for power this spring, hitting the ball harder and showing that he should be able to provide 15-20 homers per season. He offers one of the higher floors among college bats, and his ceiling continues to rise as he displays more pop.
To complement his hitting ability, Thomas offers several other promising tools. He’s a solid runner and quicker once he gets going, though he’s not much of a basestealer. He provides a plus glove at first base and also is a solid defender with arm strength to match in center field.
It’s hard not to compare Thomas at least a little with fellow PuRP Sterlin Thompson as lefty college hitters taken in the first 50 picks with a hit over power profile. Thomas has more defensive utility and power potential, though, in my eyes Thompson has better bat-to-ball skills and is more advanced — which is why Thomas is slotted just behind Thompson on my list, 16th in the system as a 40+ FV player.
Even though Thomas is young for his draft class and didn’t have much of a look at Low-A, I suspect the Rockies will send him to High-A Spokane to start the year. Thomas could make his way up the ladder in less than three years, particularly if his game power continues to develop.