Colorado Rockies news and links for Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Quotes and stories in this article are excerpts from an extended 20-minute conversation I had with Jared Thomas on the Affected by Altitude podcast for Fans First Sports Network. You can find the full interview audio and YouTube video linked at the end.
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Down in the heart of Texas, where football often reigns supreme, Jared Thomas almost didn’t pursue a baseball career.
“At the beginning, I played everything but baseball.” said Thomas, “Basketball, flag football, soccer. And we never played baseball just because my dad didn’t think I would like it because I was such an energetic kid. He thought baseball was really slow.”
There was also the fact that no one in the Thomas family had ever played baseball. So, the lack of familiarity led them not to have much understanding of what was going on with the sport at the time. Yet for some reason, Thomas was permitted by his dad to join a team coached by a family friend, kicking off a path that would result in being drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the second round in 2024.
“I just fell in love with it,” Thomas beams as he reminisces about the decision, “going to the cages and like my dad throwing me BP. That’s some of the earliest memories I have, that was my favorite part of the entire thing.”
That joy of hitting dug itself deep into his soul, “I couldn’t play a game for two weeks, but if you let me in the cage every day, I’m going to do it. That’s just how I operate. That’s where I’ve always found like kind of joy in this game is going and hitting in the cage or just practicing in general.”
His efforts to develop as a hitter began to bear fruit during a stellar career at Waxahachie (Texas) High School where he was an All-State outfielder and four-year letterman and rated as one of the best first baseman and overall players in the state of Texas. His efforts in high school led him to the University of Texas to play with the Longhorns, a program with a storied tradition of players getting drafted including a consecutive streak dating back to 1969 that Thomas continued when taken in the second round.
As a freshman in the 2023 season, Thomas turned in an excellent year batting .321/.398/.484 with 23 extra-base hits, including four home runs, 29 RBI and 10 stolen bases. The hit tool was very much on display but Thomas wanted to improve, specially in his power profile.
That’s where his relationship with Rockies legend Troy Tulowitzki comes into play. Working as an assistant coach for the Longhorns, Tulowitzki took Thomas under his wing and worked studiously to help him improve his approach at the plate heading into the 2024 season.
“It was really more of like a problem-solving I guess,” Thomas explained, “after my freshman year we took a look at what we wanted to do coming into my sophomore year and one thing I lacked a little was the power part.”
While working on things in the batter’s box was part of the process, Thomas understood it was the physical aspect as well. So, he stayed in Austin during the summer of 2023 and put on 15-20 pounds. With that part of the process in hand, Thomas was ready to begin the work on swing changes under the tutelage of Tulo in the Fall.
Thomas initially featured what he referred to as a “humongous leg kick” that felt good. However, Tulo asked him a specific question, “Dude, what are you doing?…do you want to hit homers or get hits?” Thomas replied that he wanted to get hits and the two decided to meet somewhere in the middle.
They didn’t dive too deep into mechanics, but the mental aspect of the game was hit hard to help Thomas succeed. The pair cut down on the leg kick and switched to a simpler approach that became count-based to allow Thomas the ability to swing a little more in leverage counts as opposed to others. The work paid off as Thomas quadrupled his home run total to 16 while slashing .349/.435/.635 with 47 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Sure he struck out 60 times, but still drew 31 walks in a much improved year.
The increase in strikeouts may have caused Thomas’s draft rank to decline a bit despite being considered one of the best hitters in the draft, but you’ll find no regrets from Thomas.
“I really wouldn’t have it any other way. I think everything happens for a reason, and everything that happened was all part of a bigger plan.”
Complacency has no place in Thomas’s mind either as he begins his professional career just as it did during that period with Tulo.
“Let’s say I hit even better than I did last year [in 2023], I wouldn’t have any idea what I could possibly do to make me be in the best possible position I could be right here in this moment with Tulo. I really had something to work on after the season was over to get me ready for pro ball.”
As for the memories of working with his coach, Thomas has nothing but high praise, “Tulo has been one of the best things that’s happened to me.”
Thomas, now playing with the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies, has already shown the talent at the plate that got him drafted. In his first five games, he was slashing .368/.455/.526 with four runs scored, a home run, four strikeouts and three walks.
On Tuesday night, he made his home debut in Fresno and threw out a pair of hits, including a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th.
Here’s your walk-off 1B by @jaredthomas02!
️: @ricecakes20 pic.twitter.com/M0mja0qzw8
— Fresno Grizzlies (@FresnoGrizzlies) August 14, 2024
The hit displayed why it’s his deep love of hitting that keeps him motivated and aiming to get better, stemming back to the memories he made with his dad in the cage.
“Whenever my dad first took me to the cages, I don’t know how long we were there for, but that ride home was awesome. That was when I really found out that that’s what I wanted to do.”
Now, the energetic kid from Texas who knew nothing about baseball, is one of the new top prospects in the Rockies organization, aiming to make a name for himself.
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In the full version of the interview, Thomas also shares the origins of his walk-up song, his work defensively at first base and the outfield, his teammate and fellow Rockies draft pick Lebarron Johnson Jr., as well as a few special skills he possesses!
Audio version (available wherever you get your podcasts)
Video version (YouTube)
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Rerank time! NEW Top 100 and Top 30 Prospects lists | MLB.com
MLB.com has finally updated its prospect lists for teams after the influx of newly drafted players. Charlie Condon tops the Rockies’ new Top 30 list and was ranked 12th in the Top 100 list. The farm system rankings are coming later this week but the Rockies have six players in the Top 100 and have the potential to place in the Top 10.
Evan Lang and I dove into talking about the injuries to the rotation last week and the general roster shuffle in the newest episode of Affected by Altitude. We also talk about Ryan McMahon’s rough go of late and talk about Brenton Doyle’s 20/20 season. We then close things out with a game of “Fire, Promote, Keep” involving top brass and some veteran players.
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On the Farm
Triple-A: Round Rock Express 7, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
The Isotopes got a pair of home runs from Hunter Stovall and Drew Romo but that was all the offense they were able to muster as they dropped the season opener to Round Rock. Peyton Battenfield started on the mound and turned in a serviceable outing going 5 2⁄3 innings and giving up four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Jaden Hill gave up three runs on two hits with two walks in his inning of work. Nolan Jones went 0-for-3 with a walk and played left field in another rehab game.
Double-A: Somerset Patriots 6, Hartford Yard Goats 2
Kyle Datres went 2-for-3 with a double and Adael Amador hit a solo home run for his 11th of the year, but those were the offensive highlights for the Yard Goats’ five hits as the Patriots rallied for six runs in the final two innings. Mason Albright delivered seven shutout innings, giving up just three hits with three strikeouts for the Yard Goats. Carson Skipper struggled in the eighth, giving up five runs on three hits and recording just two outs.
High-A: Vancouver Canadians 5, Spokane Indians 0
Victor Juarez was locked in on the mound, allowing just two runs over six innings with eight strikeouts, but the offense scattered six hits and could scratch a run across. Dyan Jorge and Jean Perez led the way with two hits apiece while Charlie Condon contributed a single and Jose Cordova hit a double.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 4, Modesto Nuts 3 (F/10)
Braylen Wimmer drove in three runs for the Grizzlies thanks to his 13th homer of the year but Jared Thomas played the hero with an RBI single to center field for the walk-off victory and his second hit of the night. Bryan Perez started on the mound and battled through five innings, giving up one run on two hits with four walks and four strikeouts. The bullpen locked things down the rest of the way until the Nuts got two runs in the eighth against Hunter Mann, but a two-inning solid outing from Cade Denton set the table for Fresno to win the game in extras.
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