Lane Thomas

Lane Thomas
Thomas with the Nationals in 2022
Cleveland Guardians – No. 8
Outfielder
Born: (1995-08-23) August 23, 1995 (age 29)
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 17, 2019, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.247
Home runs72
Runs batted in243
Stolen bases67
Teams
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
18U Baseball World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2013 Taichung Team

Lane Michael Thomas (born August 23, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals.

The Toronto Blue Jays selected Thomas in the 2014 MLB draft. He played in their minor league system for four years before he was traded to the Cardinals in 2017. He made his MLB debut with the team in 2019, but struggled with injuries and was unable to find consistent playing time before he was traded to the Nationals during the 2021 season, with whom he became their starting center fielder. The Nationals traded him to the Guardians in 2024.

Amateur career

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Thomas attended Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tennessee.[1] As a sophomore, he committed to play college baseball at the University of Tennessee.[2] During the summer of 2013, he played for Team USA in the 2013 18U Baseball World Cup in Taichung.[3] In 2014, as a senior, he batted .410 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs.[4] Following his senior year, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.[5]

Professional career

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Toronto Blue Jays organization

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Thomas signed with the Blue Jays for $750,000, forgoing his college commitment.[6]

Thomas made his professional debut that same year with the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays before being reassigned to the Bluefield Blue Jays. In 52 games between the two clubs, he batted .281 with one home run and 19 RBIs. In 2015, he played for both the Vancouver Canadians[7] and the Lansing Lugnuts, hitting a combined .206 with five home runs and 35 RBIs in 52 total games. He spent 2016 with Lansing where he compiled a .216 batting average with seven home runs, 27 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 81 games.[8] He began 2017 with the Dunedin Blue Jays.[9]

St. Louis Cardinals

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Thomas with the Memphis Redbirds in 2019

On July 2, 2017, Toronto traded Thomas to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for international signing bonus cap space.[10] St. Louis assigned him to the Palm Beach Cardinals, but he played in only nine games due to injury. In 82 total games between Dunedin and Palm Beach, he hit .252 with four home runs and 41 RBIs. Thomas began the 2018 season with the Springfield Cardinals where he was named a Texas League All-Star.[11] He was promoted to the Memphis Redbirds in late July[12] and finished the season there, helping the Redbirds win the 2018 Triple-A National Championship Game.[13] In 132 games between Springfield and Memphis, Thomas slashed .264/.333/.489 with 27 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases.[14] He was assigned to play for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League after the season.[15]

The Cardinals added Thomas to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.[16] He returned to Memphis to begin 2019.[17] On April 17, he was recalled to the major leagues for the first time[18] and he made his major league debut that same day at Miller Park against the Milwaukee Brewers.[19] On April 19, against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium, he hit a home run in his first major league at bat. On August 11, Thomas hit his first ever major league grand slam.[20] On August 30, he was placed on the 10-day injured list after being hit in his right wrist.[21] On September 1, he was transferred to the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his season.[22] Over 44 plate appearances with St. Louis, he hit .316 with four home runs.[23]

Thomas began the 2020 season with St. Louis. On August 9, it was announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.[24] He returned to play in October, and ended the season batting .111 with one home run over 18 games. In 2021, Thomas did not make the Opening Day roster.[25] He split time between Memphis and St. Louis during the 2021 season before being traded.

Washington Nationals

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On July 30, 2021, Thomas was traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for starting pitcher Jon Lester.[26] Thomas was called up in August 2021 and soon became the Nationals' everyday center fielder, supplanting Victor Robles.[27][28] Over 45 games with Washington, Thomas slashed .270/.364/.489 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs.[29]

On June 3, 2022, Thomas enjoyed his first career three-home run game in a contest against the Cincinnati Reds.[30] In 2022 with the Nationals, he played in 146 games, led the majors in percentage of balls hit safely (23.2%), and batted .241/.301/.404 with 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 26 doubles.[31]

On January 13, 2023, Thomas agreed to a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Nationals, avoiding salary arbitration.[32]

In 2023, Thomas became the Nationals primary right fielder and enjoyed a breakout season, batting .268 and setting career highs with 28 home runs and 20 stolen bases.[33]

On January 11th, 2024, Thomas and the Nationals agreed to a one-year contract worth $5.45 million to avoid salary arbitration.[34]

Cleveland Guardians

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On July 29, 2024, Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Alex Clemmey, José Tena, and Rafael Ramírez Jr.[35]

On October 12, in Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, Thomas clutched a grand slam off Tarik Skubal in the bottom of the fifth for the Guardians to take the lead at 5–1 and propel them to the ALCS for the first time since 2016 with a 7–3 win.[36][37]

Personal life

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Thomas co-owns Knox Cabinet Co., a home remodeling business, with his sister alongside another co-owner.[38]

Thomas married Chase Henry on January 21, 2023, in Panama City Beach, Florida.[39] On October 30, 2023, their son Henry James was born.[40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hill, Drew (August 23, 2018). "St. Louis Cardinals: Outfielder Lane Thomas' peculiar journey from NHRA to baseball". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Blackerby, Mike (August 25, 2012). "Bearden's Lane Thomas commits to play at Tennessee". Archive.knoxnews.com. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  3. ^ "Bearden's Lane Thomas makes USA Baseball 18-under team".
  4. ^ "Bearden's Thomas named 1st Team HS baseball All-American | USA TODAY High School Sports". Usatodayhss.com. June 25, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  5. ^ "Vols signee Lane Thomas drafted by Toronto Blue Jays". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 5, 2018.[dead link]
  6. ^ Steve Adams (June 10, 2014). "Blue Jays Sign Fifth-Rounder Thomas Above Slot". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Charlie Caskey Updated: September 4, 2015 (September 4, 2015). "Vancouver Canadians Fall Short in Their Strive for Six". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved December 5, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "Lane Thomas Improving All-Around". JaysProspects. January 5, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  9. ^ "Thomas leads Dunedin past Bradenton in FSL | Bradenton Herald". Bradenton.com. June 27, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  10. ^ lane thomas traded to cardinals
  11. ^ "Lane Thomas Honored by All-Star Nod". Ozarksfirst.com. June 22, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  12. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals: Lane Thomas promoted to Memphis". Redbird Rants. July 29, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  13. ^ Rosenbaum, Mike (May 24, 2018). "Memphis Redbirds win Triple-A Championship". MLB.com. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  14. ^ "Lane Thomas Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  15. ^ "Roster : Surprise Saguaros". MLB.com. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  16. ^ "Cardinals' Lane Thomas: Added to 40-man roster". CBS Sports. November 20, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  17. ^ John, Andrew St (April 4, 2019). "Depth and the Memphis Juggernaut". Viva El Birdos. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  18. ^ Hummel, Rick (April 17, 2019). "Bader goes on IL with hamstring strain; Cards recall Thomas". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  19. ^ [1]Archived April 17, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Wilson, Mike. "Bearden grad Lane Thomas homers in first at-bat with St. Louis Cardinals". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  21. ^ "Cardinals' Lane Thomas: Out with fractured wrist". CBSSports.com. August 30, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  22. ^ "Cardinals' Lane Thomas: Moves to 60-day IL". CBSSports.com. September 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  23. ^ Aug 30, FOX Sports; ET, 2019 at 6:44p (August 30, 2019). "Thomas hits IL with fractured wrist, O'Neill recalled from minors". FOX Sports. Retrieved June 13, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ "Bad news keeps coming for Cardinals: Another positive test, another series postponed". August 10, 2020.
  25. ^ "Cardinals finalize 2021 Opening Day roster". MLB.com.
  26. ^ Silver, Zachary (July 30, 2021). "Cards add veteran arms Lester, Happ". MLB.com.
  27. ^ Camerato, Jessica (August 25, 2021). "Martinez sticking with Thomas in CF for Nats". MLB.com. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  28. ^ Zuckerman, Mark (September 1, 2021). "What's Robles' future with the Nationals now?". MASN Sports. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  29. ^ "Nationals' under-the-radar trade-deadline pickup Lane Thomas off to a strong start in D.C." December 3, 2021.
  30. ^ "Lane Thomas' three-homer game | 06/03/2022". MLB.com.
  31. ^ "Splits Leaderboards | FanGraphs".
  32. ^ "2023 MLB Arbitration Tracker". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  33. ^ "Lane Thomas - Stats - Batting". FanGraphs Baseball. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  34. ^ "Nats agree to terms with all four eligible players before arbitration deadline (updated)". MASNsports.com - Orioles and Nationals on MASNsports.com. January 11, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  35. ^ Rogers, Jesse (July 29, 2024). "Nationals deal outfielder Lane Thomas to Guardians". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  36. ^ MLB.com (Footage) (October 12, 2024). "Lane Thomas' grand slam". MLB.com. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  37. ^ Bell, Mandy (October 12, 2024). "'You dream of at-bats like that': Thomas' slam guides Guardians to ALCS". MLB.com. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  38. ^ "Everything Knoxville | Downtown Knoxville | West Knoxville | Tellico Village | Knoxville Magazine - Introducing Knox Cabinet Co. | Everything Knoxville". October 2018.
  39. ^ "Chase Henry and Lane Thomas' Wedding Website". www.zola.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  40. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
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