Thomas Adds to List of Former Osprey to Appear in Majors
Highly Touted Prospect with Missoula Ties Makes MLB Debut
Missoula, MT - In less than a week's time, the Missoula PaddleHeads Professional Baseball Club will be taking the field at Allegiance Field at Ogren Park to open Spring Training. After a relatively short camp, the PaddleHeads will then enter the grind that is the Pioneer League season. Approximately 1,200 miles away in Phoenix, Arizona, a player with Missoula ties is also beginning a new journey.
Outfielder Alek Thomas made his Major League debut Sunday for the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in a game against the Colorado Rockies. It was a special afternoon for the Chicago native who also would collect his first major league hit in the contest. It was a moment that was a long time coming for a player that began his professional career in 2018. That professional career would also kick off right here in Missoula.
After being drafted by the Diamondbacks in the second round of the 2018 June Amateur Draft, Thomas would make his first appearance in the Arizona system with the Osprey. The Mount Carmel High School product would immediately make an impression in the 28 games he appeared in accumulating a .342 batting average to go along with 11 doubles in 134 at-bats. That stint in Missoula would also prove to be just one stop for Thomas who would see action with 5 different Arizona affiliates.
Before breaking through with the Diamondbacks, Thomas appeared in 300 minor league games across 4 years. 2019 saw Thomas head to Kane County along with former Osprey, and 2021 Pioneer League MVP Zach Almond who would also play with those two outfits in 2018-2019. After 2020 brought the professional baseball world to a halt, Thomas would begin to find his stride in affiliated baseball.
After a stop at AA Amarillo in 2021, Thomas would make his way to the AAA level Reno Aces. Bolstered by an impressive .369 batting average in 166 at-bats in 2021, Thomas would begin to draw more attention as the season progressed. Not only were the Diamondbacks noticing, but so were some of baseball's top scouts, and analysts. At the beginning of the 2022 season, Thomas was viewed as Arizona's top prospect. In a list of top prospects from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, Thomas was listed as the #14 ranked prospect in Major League Baseball.
Thomas' first career hit in the Majors came in his first game of action Sunday in the bottom of the fifth inning. The only thing that was missing from a moment that was seemingly out of a Hollywood script was a cameo appearance from Ray Cansella or 'The Natural' Roy Hobbs. As the 22-year-old stroud easily into second base with a double, Thomas would point to the stands where his mother and close to 20 family members were watching.
It is safe to say that Sunday was a Mother's Day that will never be forgotten in the Thomas family. Years of hard work led to that moment on a swelteringly hot day in the desert. However, many of his first milestones in the professional baseball world also would take place in Missoula. Where would the trajectory of his career have gone without his time in the next best place? Furthermore, who will be the next player with Missoula ties to have their moment in the spotlight?
The 2021 Pioneer League Champions will begin the road to a potential title defense on May 25 opposite the Billings Mustangs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. inside Allegiance Field at Ogren Park. Get your tickets for that game, and every game through the regular season at gopaddleheads.com.
