Recent Rockies Top Draft Pick Tearing up Minor League Baseball

The Colorado Rockies’ second round pick from a season ago is having one of the best seasons in minor league baseball.

May 10, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; A detail view of a Colorado Rockies players hat and glove in the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Colorado Rockies prospect Jared Thomas is making the transition from college baseball to minor league baseball look relatively easy.

After three months at High-A Spokane, he’s already won a Northwest League player of the week award and caught the attention of Baseball America writer Geoff Pontes, who included Thomas in a recent article highlighting 10 minor league hitting prospects and their underlying data for the month of June.

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Thomas was the Rockies’ second-round pick in last year’s MLB draft, and this is his first full professional season after playing eight games to end last year at Class-A Fresno in the California League.

Colorado knew it was getting a prospect with power potential along with a solid collegiate slash line. He showed a glimpse of it last year with his .333 batting average in a short sample with Fresno.

But the 21-year-old is proving last year wasn’t a fluke. Through his first 73 games with Spokane, he has slashed .330/.427/.495 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI. He also has 13 doubles, a triple and 22 stolen bases.

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Pontes wrote that helps made the case that Thomas has been one of the most productive players in the minors this year after signing a $2 million bonus with Colorado last July.

But his underlying numbers in June have been terrific. Pontes pointed to Thomas’ impressive slash in his first 20 games in June — .369/.448/.607. Thomas has also done a great job with walks and strikeouts, drawing walks 10.6% and striking out just 17.7%.

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It may only be a matter of time before the Rockies send him to their Double-A affiliate. Midway through his first full season there may not be more for Thomas to prove — except where he fits in the Majors once he gets there. Pontes projects him as a corner outfielder due to his power profile.

Thomas had two productive seasons with Texas. In 2024 he slashed .349/.434/.635 with 16 home runs and 47 RBI in a huge jump over his 2023 season. He also had 15 doubles, four triples and 18 stolen bases. He served as the Longhorns’ primary leadoff hitter.

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In 2023 he played in four more games in than in the following season and slashed .321/.398./484. While he had the same amount of doubles and triples as he did in 2024, he only had four home runs and 29 RBI.

His career numbers included a .336 batting average with 30 doubles, 20 homers, 115 runs scored and 28 stolen bases.

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