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On a rainy Wednesday morning, media covering the Arizona Diamondbacks’ minor league mini camp huddled inside of a 20′ x 40′ party tent at Salt River Fields intended for socially-distanced team meetings to get a reprieve from the elements and to hear from one young man many consider to be the future of the franchise. D-backs No. 3 ranked prospect Alek Thomas sloshed into the makeshift workspace from the rain and provided some insight on what he is currently working on during this mini camp.
“Just continuing to work on what I left off on last year,” Thomas said. “Just continuing trying to get back into the swing of things really. It’s been a little slow for me, but it’s early so nothing to worry about. But just everything really. That’s what I’ve always said is continuing to work on everything. Hitting routine, outfield drills, base running, been out there with Peter a little bit, our outfield coordinator, and we’ve just been grinding. Working on little things.”
The 21-year-old outfielder has been at SRF for the camp since Monday, admitting that even though it was cold on Wednesday, it’s still nothing compared to his native home of Chicago. On the first day of media availability, he drew a decent-sized crowd at batting practice based on his growing reputation within the organization.
Thomas spent 2021 with double-A Amarillo and triple-A Reno, where his offensive numbers shot to the moon. He finished the season slashing .369/.434/.658 with a ridiculous 1.091 OPS, eight home runs, and 18 RBI in 149 at bats for the Aces. He credited his recent hitting development to D-backs director of player development Josh Barfield challenging him at the plate in June last year.
“So I think during that stretch of June and July, I think I really needed to figure out who I was, and Josh Barfield gave me a task and I tried to fulfill it as much as I can,”he said. “We talked about it, about what I needed to do, and in August, I kind of turned it back on from what I had in May.”
The task was simple: Take the first strike in every at bat.
“I think I needed to get over that mentally and just throw that out the door,” he said. “And it took me a second. I was being hard-headed and it took me a second to really get over that. Once I got over that and just let it go, I became a better hitter and I learned a few things from it. I think that’s what what helped me have success in Reno.”
Thomas clarified that it wasn’t the first pitch Barfield was tasking him with taking. It was not swinging until after the first strike had been thrown.
“So it would be 2-0 and I’d let the heater go by, it’s like, ‘Dang, I wish I could hit that,'” he said. “But I think a lot of people know that I can hit the fastball. So just for me to hit other pitches was really key for my development. Because in the big leagues, you’re going to get everything, so I think that was huge for sure.
“There was times where I wouldn’t do that and had a good at bat, and there’s times where I did beat myself up and be mad that we were taking a strike. But he gave me a task and I second-guessed it for a little bit, but I got over it and I think I became a better hitter because of it, for sure.”
The task expanded the pitches Thomas would see in his at bats.
“I think that’s what they wanted me to do just see more pitches and learn how to hit other pitches,” he said. “And from a development standpoint, definitely helped me out but from a statistical standpoint, during June and July, I was hurting a little bit. But it happens and that’s why there’s minor league so we can develop as hitters.”
The lefty is no stranger to getting sage advice from mentors to help him improve. He’s been around baseball his entire life thanks to his father Allen, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1996 and has been their director of strength and conditioning for 27 years.
“So Todd Frazier told me to be the same guy when you’re 0-for-40 versus when you’re 20-for-40, and I think just having the right mindset is really key during the season,” Thomas said. “Because if you get down on yourself, you’re just gonna put yourself down and be in a bad spot. So, just to continue to be the same guy is what we strive for as hitters and I’m sure pitchers do the same thing.”
Growing up around the White Sox organization meant being around some of the greatest players to ever play the game.
“I’ve been around a lot of the guys to be honest, but I can name off a whole lot,” he said. “Jim Thome. That was a big guy for me, just having the same mental approach and being a good guy on and off the field. But I had Adam Engle, I spent a lot of time. Adam Eaton. Who else? Juan Pierre. Andrew Jones a little bit.
“Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, like, just the whole team pretty much from 2003 to now. I kind of have a relationship with most of them. But all those guys, nothing but nice things to say about all of them. I definitely learned a whole lot from just being in that atmosphere and being in the clubhouse as a kid and being a young adult and being around them as well. So, learned a few things, what to do and what not to do, but I definitely learned a lot from being in there.”
Now that he’s close to making his major league debut, he’s looking forward to playing against the men who helped raise him that are still in the league.
“Yeah, definitely be really funny to be honest with you, just growing up and seeing those guys when I was 12 and now I’m playing against them,” he said. “Or like, Matt Davidson is here, and I’ve been around him a little bit since I was like 13. And now I’m in the same locker room as him. It’s really funny how things turn out. Even Trayce Thompson was here at one point, and he was like an uncle to me pretty much, so it was really cool being around him too last year and the year before that. So, it’s real. Everything comes back in a circle kind of, but it’s all cool.”
For Thomas, that circle is connected to a center-radius of experience and knowledge few are lucky enough to be a part of. And for the D-backs, it could translate to having a trajectory-changing talent on the cusp of becoming a superstar within their organization.
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