Alek Thomas

Alek Thomas

24-Year-Old OutfielderOF
Arizona Diamondbacks
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Thomas served as Arizona's Opening Day starter in center field for the second straight year in 2024, but he hit the injured list due to a hamstring issue after only three games and was sidelined until July. He was then demoted to Triple-A Reno in August and finished the MLB campaign with a .189/.245/.358 slash line in 39 games. He also spent time on the IL at Reno with an oblique injury and played in just 16 contests there, so it was largely a lost season for the 2018 second-round pick, who will turn 25 years old in April. The numbers aren't worth looking at too closely given the sample size, but it's concerning that he was unable to take a step forward from the .633 OPS he posted across his first two MLB campaigns. Thomas should get another chance to stake his claim to the starting job again in 2025 and could have a decent volume floor to begin the season given his defense, but his .226/.271/.359 slash line through 277 big-league games should temper any major expectations. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#423
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Diamondbacks in March of 2025.
Producing offensively
OFArizona Diamondbacks
April 24, 2025
Thomas went 2-for-5 with two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Rays.
ANALYSIS
Thomas has given the Diamondbacks a competent bat at the end of the order and is slashing .279/.338/.393 with five extra-base hits, 10 RBI, three steals and nine runs scored over 68 plate appearances. His offense had been a question mark over his first three seasons in the majors, as Thomas has never hit higher than .231, but his consistency thus far may have made the team more comfortable in its decision to demote Jake McCarthy to Triple-A Reno. With McCarthy off the roster, Thomas becomes the primary starter in center field. If he improves against left-handers, Thomas could be an everyday player.
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Batting Stats
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2025
2024
2023
2022
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
3
5
6
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
2
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2023
 
 
+50%
OPS vs RHP
2025
Even Split
2024
 
 
+45%
OPS vs RHP
2023
 
 
+61%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2023vs Left .464 116 12 2 12 1 .164 .200 .264
Since 2023vs Right .697 457 61 10 54 15 .245 .295 .402
2025vs Left .733 10 1 0 0 0 .333 .400 .333
2025vs Right .731 58 8 0 10 3 .269 .328 .404
2024vs Left .450 25 3 0 3 1 .167 .200 .250
2024vs Right .654 78 10 3 14 3 .197 .260 .394
2023vs Left .435 81 8 2 9 0 .143 .175 .260
2023vs Right .701 321 43 7 30 9 .253 .297 .404
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Minor League Splits View Minor League Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2023
 
 
+22%
OPS at Home
2025
 
 
+77%
OPS at Home
2024
 
 
+56%
OPS on Road
2023
 
 
+34%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2023Home .715 281 37 6 39 4 .249 .295 .420
Since 2023Away .587 292 36 6 27 12 .209 .257 .330
2025Home .972 30 7 0 6 1 .385 .433 .538
2025Away .549 38 2 0 4 2 .200 .263 .286
2024Home .489 60 7 1 8 1 .161 .203 .286
2024Away .764 43 6 2 9 3 .231 .302 .462
2023Home .747 191 23 5 25 2 .257 .302 .446
2023Away .558 211 28 4 14 7 .206 .246 .312
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Stat Review
How does Alek Thomas compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.25
 
BB Rate
5.9%
 
K Rate
23.5%
 
BABIP
.370
 
ISO
.115
 
AVG
.279
 
OBP
.338
 
SLG
.393
 
OPS
.732
 
wOBA
.323
 
Exit Velocity
91.6 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
30.4%
 
Barrels/PA
7.4%
 
Expected BA
.263
 
Expected SLG
.423
 
Sprint Speed
24.8 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
52.2%
 
Line Drive %
23.9%
 
Fly Ball %
23.9%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Thomas was the Diamondbacks' Opening Day center fielder last season, but he got off to such a poor start that he found himself back in the minors by mid-May. The speedy youngster returned following a month-long stint on the farm and started out hot at the dish, but he eventually slowed down and wound up slashing only .245/.282/.395 with seven home runs and six stolen bases over his final 86 games. Arizona continued to ride with Thomas' glove during their surprise postseason run and it was rewarded with four long balls. Some improvement from Thomas is a reasonable expectation given his pedigree, but a .290 xWOBA, 4.7 percent walk rate and .435 OPS versus lefties don't provide much encouragement. The good news is Thomas' defensive work should give him a little leash.
Thomas opened the season with Triple-A Reno, but after posting a .936 OPS in 27 games, he was called up to the Bigs. Thomas also ended the season with the Aces as he was sent down towards the end to work on pitch recognition. Thomas' game is frequently putting the ball in play, mostly on the ground. Through August 31, he recorded a .285 BABIP. However, it plummeted to .146 in September, prompting his demotion. With limited power and speed, Thomas needs grounders to find holes to be productive. His defense is good, but he'll need to hit to sustain playing time in a crowded and talented Diamondbacks outfield, though the departure of Daulton Varsho during the offseason should open up a path to playing time. Lourdes Gurriel joined the Diamondbacks in that trade, but the club may be more inclined to see what their young outfielders can do early on this season. Thomas' general lack of power and limited work on the basepaths limit his fantasy potential, even if he maintains a regular spot in the lineup.
Thomas put up impressive numbers (.313/.394/.559, 18 HR, 13 SB in 106 games) at Double-A and Triple-A last season at an appropriate age (21) for a top prospect at those levels. However, it should be noted that he took advantage of the hitter-friendly conditions in Amarillo and Reno (1.086 home OPS, .835 road OPS). Even so, his 20.0 K% and 10.5 BB% were encouraging marks, and he used the whole field at both stops. His groundball rate has been north of 50% at every stop other than High-A in 2019, so it's a hit-over-power profile, and given his slight build (5-foot-11, 175 pounds), it will likely always be that way. The key for Thomas to be a valuable fantasy outfielder will be for him to be hitting first or second in the lineup and putting his plus speed to use on the bases. He was successful on 59.1% of his stolen-base attempts last season and has a 61.5% success rate for his career, so 10-15 steals per season seems like a fair estimate in the majors. He doesn't have much left to prove in the minors, and center field is wide open for him at the big-league level, so we could see him in the first half.
Given the well-deserved hype surrounding Kristian Robinson and Corbin Carroll, Thomas feels a bit like a forgotten man. He can't match the upside of his organizational outfield mates, but Thomas is the elder statesman (turning 21 in late April) and could beat them to the majors. The lefty-hitting center fielder has long fit the archetype of a potential table setter, thanks to a strong hit tool and 60-grade speed. He doesn't have a great arm, but is a good enough defender in center field to be an everyday player even if he never taps into 20-homer pop. Thomas will probably need to become a plus hitter to be a sought after fantasy commodity, otherwise he will be a Kevin Kiermaier type who gets scooped up in the later rounds strictly for his stolen-base contributions. He should open the year at Double-A and should reach the majors in 2022.
Thomas' prospect value peaked when he was riding high in the Midwest League, looking the part of a future five-category center fielder. With a well-rounded tool set that is headlined by plus speed and a potentially plus hit tool, that outcome is still very much in play, but he had a poor showing in a 23-game stint in the Cal League. His K% skyrocketed from 17.9% at Low-A to 31.7% at High-A, and his BB% ticked down. He stopped doing damage when he connected -- his ISO was cut in half and he logged just four extra-base hits in 104 PA. His GB% fell from 55.5% to 46.7%, so he may have been tinkering with his swing after the promotion. He definitely needed to cut down on the groundballs, so this could end up being a positive. A 153 wRC+ in 91 games is more instructive than four weeks' worth of struggles by a 19-year-old at High-A, but he needs to recapture the command of the strike zone he showed at Low-A.
It seemed valid to be concerned about Thomas' lack of physicality during the pre-draft process -- his listed measurements of 5-foot-11, 175 pounds appear pretty generous. The No. 63 overall pick put those concerns to rest by showing above-average potential on both sides of the ball. He stays within himself, lacing the ball to all fields while taking his fair share of walks (8.9 BB%) and rarely striking out (13.6 K%). In addition to showing the potential to develop into a .300 hitter in the big leagues, Thomas puts his plus speed to good use on the bases (12-for-17 on SB attempts in 272 PA). It is possible that he could develop enough power to hit 10-to-15 home runs in a good year, but it will be his batting average, steals and runs that drive his fantasy value. The Diamondbacks will send him to the Midwest League for his first full season. He was one of the younger high schoolers in his class, and won't turn 19 until April 28.
More Fantasy News
Provides insurance in win
OFArizona Diamondbacks
April 13, 2025
Thomas entered Sunday's game as a defensive replacement and went 1-for-1 with two RBI and a stolen base in a 5-2 win over Milwaukee.
ANALYSIS
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Out of Sunday's lineup
OFArizona Diamondbacks
April 13, 2025
Thomas is not in Arizona's starting lineup against Milwaukee on Sunday.
ANALYSIS
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Multiple hits in win
OFArizona Diamondbacks
April 13, 2025
Thomas went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over Milwaukee.
ANALYSIS
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Idle vs. southpaw
OFArizona Diamondbacks
April 11, 2025
Thomas is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers.
ANALYSIS
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Out of Monday's lineup
OFArizona Diamondbacks
April 7, 2025
Thomas is not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup against the Orioles on Monday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Drawing trade interest
OFArizona Diamondbacks
November 22, 2024
Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said this week that he has received trade interest in his center fielders, with Thomas and Jake McCarthy being the ones that could potentially be dealt, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.
ANALYSIS
Arizona also has Corbin Carroll as an option in center, but he isn't going anywhere. Hazen said he's more reluctant to trade a center fielder now than he was at this time last year when he dealt Dominic Fletcher to the White Sox, but he wouldn't totally dismiss the possibility if it allows the club to shore up another area. McCarthy is likely to have more trade value than Thomas after he slashed .285/.349/.400 in 2024 and was used as the club's primary center fielder down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks would be selling low on Thomas, who hit just .189/.245/.358 while being limited to 60 games between the majors and minors due to recurring hamstring problems.
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