Rangers OF Bubba Thompson is Express Player of Year
The Round Rock Express named Bubba Thompson the team’s 2022 Most Valuable Player, even though the outfielder has been with the Texas Rangers for more than a month.
The Rangers called Thompson up on Aug. 4 and he’s remained with the team since.
Despite the call-up, he was good enough during his time in Round Rock to get the award, which underscores why the Rangers called him up — and what kind of season Thompson had for the Express, who completed their regular season on Wednesday.
Thompson started the 2022 season with the Express and played 80 games. Thompson batted .303/.355/.474 with 12 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 48 RBI and 77 runs scored. He finishes the season leading the Express in runs scored, hits and stolen bases. At the time of his departure on August 4, Thompson led the Pacific Coast League in stolen bases, tied for third in runs scored and fifth in hits. He finishes the season second in stolen bases in the PCL despite not playing in a game for 54 days.
He became the team’s single-season stolen base king for the Express as a Triple-A franchise when he stole his 45th base. He replaced Esteban German as the franchise’s single-season Triple-A leader. German stole 44 stolen bases in 2011.
After the Rangers’ 3-1 loss to Seattle on Wednesday, Thompson was batting .278 with one home run, eight RBI, 16 runs scored and 18 stolen bases.
The Rangers drafted Thompson No. 26 overall in 2017 and paid him a $2.1 million signing bonus after taking him out of McGill–Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Ala. Thompson had committed to play baseball at Alabama and was a highly-regarded football recruit as well.
At one time in 2019, Thompson was the No. 48 national prospect according to Baseball Prospectus.
In 2019 he was assigned to Class-A Down East and hit .178/.261/.312/.573 with five home runs and 21 RBI in 57 games, as he missed much of the season with injuries. He did play in the Arizona Fall League afterward and was named a Fall League All-Star.
After the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, he hit .275/.325/.483/.808 with 16 home runs, 52 RBI and 25 stolen bases for Double-A Frisco.
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