Cody Thomas named to Prospect of the Week Team
By David Hill
Cody Thomas took a relatively different path to professional baseball, but it has worked out overall. He was once a highly regarded high school quarterback prospect, rated ahead of Jared Goff in some circles. While Goff went on to be the first pick of the NFL Draft, Thomas started three games in his collegiate career.
He had been considered a viable baseball prospect in high school as well, being taken in the 30th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Yankees just because of his commitment to the University of Oklahoma. However, he ended up being drafted by the Dodgers in the 13th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, heading to the Oakland A’s as part of the deal that sent Sheldon Neuse to Los Angeles.
Cody Thomas named to Prospect of the Week team
The A’s have to be pleased with what they have seen from Thomas thus far. He has produced a solid .267/.333/.583 batting line in his 66 plate appearances, with seven doubles and four homers. However, he has also struck out 26 times, limiting the damage he can do.
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That was not an issue last week. Thomas not only reduced his strikeouts, but showed solid patience at the plate while punishing virtually everything. He posted a .450/.522/1.050 batting line over 23 plate appearances, hitting three doubles and three homers while drawing three walks and striking out only four times.
Although he is 26 years old, Thomas is still somewhat raw as a baseball prospect given that time away from the sport. He has tremendous raw power, but his swing is long and leaves him susceptible to striking out. The A’s have been working with him to shorten his swing, the fruits of which may be showing with his results from last week.
The A’s certainly hope that is the case. Thomas has the pop to play at either corner outfield spot, and does have enough speed to play in center if needed. He may not be more than a fourth outfielder type in the majors, but his raw power will continue to intrigue regardless.
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Cody Thomas had an impressive showing last week as he was named to the Prospect of the Week team. The Oakland A’s hope this is just the beginning.