2024 MLB Draft Profile: Jared Thomas
Draft Profile: Jared Thomas (Texas)
Height: 6'2
Weight: 185
Bats/Throws: Left/Left
Jared Thomas, coming off a solid first year at Texas, is rising up draft boards in anticipation of the 2024 MLB Draft.
I wanted to start by highlighting Thomas’s defense and athletic ability. He is a good athlete, a plus for his position at first base. He actually may transfer to the outfield this year, mainly due to his plus speed and agility, and he has a stronger arm than I anticipated for someone who played first base. I can envision him being a success defensively in the outfield for Texas, but if not, I believe he is a plus defender when he is at first base.
Thomas is a contact-first hitter, but his bat-to-ball skills are evident. He may not have plus power, but he makes contact often (89 percent in-zone contact), induces solid contact, and does not chase often. It is difficult to expand the zone on him as he can hit to all fields, and he has a disciplined approach at the plate.
Particularly against fastballs, Thomas excels against RHP, batting over .380 with a > .600 slugging percentage.
He also crushed changeups, batting over .500 against them with a whiff rate of under 5 percent. Arm-Side movement has been his strong suit when it comes to generating hard contact.
Thomas performs more than adequately against off-speed pitches to signify his contact ability. He hit over .350 against sliders, with a max exit velocity of 123 Miles Per Hour. He also had a whiff rate of less than 20 percent against them and chased on them less than 30 percent of the time. Best of all, he did damage against it from either side.
In limited samples, curveballs seem to generate whiffs on him at a very high rate, but I take it with a grain of salt as the sampling is small, and he maintained a respectable average against it in brief exposure.
Weaknesses
Thomas has a large discrepancy in how he performs against LHP in comparison to RHP. His approach does not worsen, as the chase, whiff, and strikeout rates are comparable. He actually has a higher in-zone contact rate against LHP, but the quality of contact diminishes.
Thomas likely will want to show some progression in his production versus LHP, and I believe he will be able to do that this year based on his contact ability.
Conclusion
Thomas has been rising up draft boards, and with good reason. He may not have a power stroke (though I do think he will show more in-game power this year), and he may have favoritism toward a platoon, but there are redeeming qualities that you can project out.
He has an established ability to make contact and can hit to all fields. He does not have substantial elements of chase and whiff in his game, highlighting his approach and bat-to-ball skills. He is a good athlete, and a move to the outfield could pay dividends for him if he can show he is capable of handling an outfield position, which I think he can.
I envision his projection as a utility player who can handle play multiple positions (OF, 1B), and as a contact first player that will be effective against RHP. I’m not sure where he gets taken, but I think he will have a chance to be a contributor based on his versatility, contact skills, and plate approach.
