Bubba Thompson

Thompson was called up for his big-league debut in August and spent the final two months of the season as a lineup regular for Texas. The young outfielder finished with a .265/.302/.312 slash line, one home runs, nine RBI and 18 stolen bases in 55 games. He also had a 30.9 percent strikeout rate, which will need to be improved upon if he's going to stick in the lineup in 2023. Thompson was never a major power threat in the minors, but his .047 ISO during the first taste of the majors was comically low, and he had only six extra-base hits in 181 plate appearances. His average and speed in 2022 could provide some value across multiple categories, but he'll need to make better and stronger contact to have more staying power in the majors. Thompson should enter spring training with a strong chance to start Opening Day, at least.

Thompson missed close to two months with a fractured left hamate bone and made a second trip to the injured list in the summer, playing a total of 57 games with High-A Down East. The results on the field were downright ugly and his prospect stock is still tumbling as you read this. His athleticism is off the charts and the power-speed dream will keep him on a roster in most dynasty leagues for the foreseeable future, but Thompson's baseball skills are lacking at this stage. In particular, he struggles to put bat to ball with consistency. He struck out at a 31.6% clip in 2019, up from 28.7% at Low-A. Thompson inflicted very little damage when he did manage to make contact in 2019, posting an almost-impossibly-low 13.0 Hard%. Some of that was probably due to the hamate injury and Thompson did show a more discerning eye at the plate with a 9.2 BB%, but a bet on Thompson is a bet on raw tools over skills.

A two-sport athlete who could have played QB in the SEC, Thompson was popped by the Rangers at the back of the first round in 2017 and broke out as a top-100 fantasy prospect in 2018. His full-season debut was delayed five weeks due to a knee injury, and he understandably struggled early against Low-A pitching, hitting .252 with a 29.4 K% in his first 160 PA. He really took off when the calendar turned to July, hitting .319/.369/.481 with five home runs and 24 steals (on 30 attempts) in 47 games. Thompson still struck out in 28.1% of his plate appearances over that stretch while only walking 5.4% of the time, illustrating the lack of plate skills at this stage of his development. He has huge raw power, and should gradually get to more of it in games. There is a reasonable chance he gets exposed at High-A or Double-A. On the flipside, he legitimately has 30/30 upside, and could continue to improve as he moves up the ladder with more reps and instruction.

A classic Rangers pick, Thompson fell to 26th overall in last year’s draft due to concerns about his ability to hit. Like Nick Williams and Lewis Brinson before him, if he hits, he has the tools to be special. A two-sport star in high school, Thompson could have played quarterback in the SEC but opted for a first-round payday, netting a slightly under-slot $2.1 million bonus. He has classic center field tools, with 65-grade speed and good instincts. Thompson also has a chance to provide 25-plus homer power down the road, although he is in the nascent stage of tapping into that raw power in games. We still don’t have enough information to get a good gauge of what type of hitter he will be. There will likely be growing pains over the next couple years, but his upside will warrant patience in deeper dynasty leagues. Knee tendinitis limited Thompson to just 30 games in the AZL, so it’s unclear if he will be sent to Low-A or held back in extended spring training.