Bubba Thompson

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.