‘Late bloomer’: Spokane Indians outfielder Jared Thomas goes from ‘slowest kid’ to professional baseball

Not every ballplayer takes a linear developmental path. There can be fits and starts along the way. Some sort of explode onto the scene. And still others, it takes a little time before an exponential jump.

Jared Thomas was something of a late bloomer – but he’s more than made up for it.

Now the Colorado Rockies’ No. 12 prospect, the 21-year-old will roam the outfield at Avista Stadium this summer as the Spokane Indians look to defend their Northwest League title.

As with many young ballplayers, he might not have received the opportunity without the assistance and persistence of his family.

“I didn’t come from a ton (of money), so my plan wasn’t really to go play baseball (in college),” Thomas said. “I wasn’t gonna put that burden on my parents to send me to school and have to pay this enormous amount of money.”

The game “was just always fun for me,” he said.

“Growing up, I was always the smallest, weakest, slowest kid,” he said. “I moved over to first base when I was really young cause I was so slow. When I got into high school, I start tapping into more physicality, and started getting my legs underneath me.”

During his sophomore year of high school in Waxahachie, Texas, Thomas garnered the interest of pro and college scouts, and he realized that maybe he wouldn’t be a burden to his folks after all. Though he was all-state his senior season and ranked as the No. 24 player in the state, he wasn’t drafted out of high school.

But he received the offer of a lifetime to play at the next level.

“I ended up talking to some schools, and I’m thankful that I was on such a great summer ball team at the time,” he said. “So, an opportunity presented itself for me to go play … and I ended up going to play at (University of) Texas. And, you know, the rest is history.”

It was a dream come true for Thomas, going from a Texas town of 40,000 to starring for the Longhorns.

“So much credit goes my parents for how much they sacrificed,” Thomas said. “Me and my dad, my mom, we walked into the whole baseball thing without knowing anything. So they were learning with me. My dad did such a great job sending me to the best guys to go hit with, field with, workout with. … But (Texas), it was super, super special. I had the opportunity to go play at my dream college.”

Thomas played in all 64 games, starting 60 at first base, as a true freshman and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention, batting .321 with 14 doubles, a team-high four triples and four home runs. He dealt with an injury that summer, which in turn helped him focus on strength and conditioning and “put on as much weight as I could.”

That showed in a big way his sophomore season, as the still lanky 6-foot-2, 190-pounder hit for more power (16 homers, 47 RBIs) without sacrificing average (.349) or speed (18 of 18 stolen-base attempts).

He also benefited from some big-time coaching experience – renowned hitting coach Caleb Longley and former MLB shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

“I always grew up as a hitter more than a power guy,” Thomas said. “With (Tulowitzki) being there, he was such a great help, along with Caleb Longley. Those guys helped me through that whole process of trying to tap into more power. You know, it all worked out. It was cool experience.”

Thomas said he was intimidated when he first met Tulowitzki.

“The first couple weeks, first couple months, I never approached him. He’s a big dude,” Thomas said. “But he was one of the most influential coaches I’ve been around. He was the first coach that really challenged me and teached me how hard the game really was, and how to attack the game on a mental side and on the physical side.”

His success at UT led to the Rockies selecting Thomas with their second-round pick, 42nd overall, in the 2024 MLB draft. After the draft, Thomas managed to play in eight games for Low-A Fresno at the end of last season, going 11 for 33 (.333) with two homers, four RBIs and a stolen base.

“He’s a special player with everything he does. He can run. He plays great defense. He’s got a good arm, but the hit tool is really, really impressive,” Indians hitting coach Trevor Burmeister said. “He shows the ability to have power to all fields. A really gritty, competitive kid up at the plate, just a skill set that’s really unique, and a really good baseball mind on top of that. He’s just really smart.”

Burmeister thinks that being a late bloomer may be part of what makes Thomas such an interesting, hard working young ballplayer.

“I think maybe it’s what kind of fuels that curiosity inside of him,” Burmeister said. “Because it wasn’t always easy, maybe until his body did fully develop and started to make more sense within his body.

“(Thomas) kind of has that ‘chip on his shoulder’ mentality that should, I think, if he holds on to that carry him a really long way.”

Thomas certainly fits the mold of other recent “hit over power” high Rockies draft picks like Jordan Beck, Zac Veen, Sterlin Thompson, Benny Montgomery and Cole Carrigg. It helps that Thomas has experience at first base as well as in the outfield.

“If they need to put me to play first base, I’ll play first base. If they need to play anywhere in the outfield, that’s how it’s going to be,” Thomas said. “Just somehow get me into the lineup, that’s all I’m asking for.”

“I know it’s something that is really important to (the Rockies),” Burmeister said. “When you have that versatility, it just makes the plug-and-play so much easier within the lineup. …You want to find ways to be able to get them all out on the field on any given day, so that type of versatility is really, really important within the Rockies.”