Thompson was supposed to hold down the fort; now hes a lock for an important role in October. [21], On December 1, 2018, Thompson signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians, who released him on August 2, 2019. Through 80 games, Trayce hit 13 homers and had batted as high as third in the lineup. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He developed quick bonds in his new clubhouse, even moving in with Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Alex Wood. I do think the numbers versus left will correct itself a little bit and hopefully the numbers versus right dont self-correct either. Well, hes pretty good at pool, Trayce admits. Thompson continued to play well for the Dodgers, belting 13 homers and playing good defense for a team with World Series aspirations, until he fractured two vertebrae in his lower back in July 2016 and missed the rest of the season. [8] He made the Dodgers' 2016 opening day roster. It would be awesome, man., Two week later, I ask Klay the same question. After last years season-long struggle to find consistency off the bench, its a luxury for the Dodgers to be able to give Mookie a day off once in a while and know they have a player like Thompson ready to take his place. It felt like he was back home. Starting tonight, when the Dodgers open their first-round playoff series against the San Diego Padres, Trayce will have a chance to play a pivotal role for a team for whom anything less than a World Series championship will constitute a failure. He cant say if it came from birth position or from his love of Curb Your Enthusiasm (Ive watched so much Larry David, I feel like hes a part of me now). Jun 21, 2022. All the Under-$20 Style, Tech, and Home Goods We're Feeling This March, 35 Alarmingly Good Watch Deals to Upgrade Your Wrist, Fellas, You're About to Blow Your Rent Money at the SSENSE Sale, Brooklyn Nets Sharpshooter Yuta Watanabe Is Thriving on the NBA's Most Chaotic Team, The #1 Ranked NBA Snitch Ref Just Wants To Keep Hoops Honest. Trayce Thompson had 13 home runs last season and 39 home runs over his career. It was enough to get the 6'3" outfielder taken in the 2nd round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. Trayce Thompson lays out for the grab to take away extra bases from Brandon Drury for the first out in the bottom of the 4th inning. But the way I looked at it was, its gonna be intense, its gonna help me prepare for the season and its just down the road. Santa Margarita Catholic HS (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA). [2], The Chicago White Sox selected Thompson in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft, and he signed rather than enroll at UCLA. \n","providerName":"Twitter","providerUrl":"https://twitter.com","type":"rich","width":550},"type":"oembed"},{"__typename":"Markdown","content":"Hes made the most of his opportunity, with the most recent example coming in two consequential moments Friday. I was really inconsistent. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. He likes his newfound perspective on the game and understands why the clich control what you can control is important. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Do you have a blog? Thompson signed with the Diamondbacks in 2020 and was in the middle of his best spring training ever when the pandemic struck. Its not hard to suspect that Trayce has been successful for reasons beyond pure athletic skill. (Mychel, the oldest, loved Griffey, so Trayce, three years younger, did too. But as the 31-year-old reflected on his performance this winter, he fixated on areas where his game could improve ways he could cement his place on the Dodgers roster more permanently. Get stats, Statcast data, projections, articles, fantasy rankings, gifs and more for Trayce Thompson on Pitcher List. I probably shouldnt be talking about this, but we can get physical and were not gonna get hurt, because we know each other, Trayce says. And then, of course, theres the Klay of it all. Trayce Nikolas Thompson (born March 15, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Though we have to kind of watch it with Klay now., The brothers love to competeTrayce tells me hes seen Klay break golf clubs and countless video game controllers. Further, Trayce was added to the active roster. Trayces father was the first overall pick in the 1978 draft and won two championships with the 1980s Lakers. Hes smart enough to know that, one piece of value that he can add for our club, is to be more productive versus left-handed pitching.. Motivated to prove he still was a viable player, Thompson said he focused more than ever headed into 2019. Latest on Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Trayce Thompson including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN Thompson actually made the play look much easier than it was, thanks to a great jump off the bat and direct route to the ball. Now, at age 31, hes found a Major League runway with the Dodgers despite having been designated for assignment earlier this year by the Padres and playing at Triple-A Toledo for the Tigers. Hes earned some opportunities, so Im trying to get him in there when I can.. Surely, there have been contributions where you might least expect them. Everybody wants to be there in person as opposed to over the phone or FaceTime or Skyping, Mychal Thompson said. Trayce tells me hes always felt a similar calm in high-leverage spots. [17] The Athletics designated him for assignment on April 17, 2018. Thompson joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in Cincinnati on Tuesday after the Detroit Tigers traded him Monday for cash considerations. I feel like I eventually would have gotten in a groove there, but it is what it is.. [19] The White Sox designated Thompson for assignment on June 22, 2018. Oh no, Mychal thought. Every hair on my body stood up, the former Lakers center recalled recently. Last year, the right-handed-hitting Thompson had unusually stark reverse splits, doing significantly better against right-handed pitching (.308 batting average, 1.010 OPS) than left-handers (.174 average, .621 OPS). Trayce Thompson had a .256 average last season and a .221 average over his career. Four ways the Dodgers can fill the hole in their lineup, Its a huge blow. Gavin Lux tears right ACL and is expected to miss 2023 season, Cactus League stadium guide: Everything you need to know to attend spring training. Exceeded rookie limits during 2016 season, 2023 Contract Status: In 146 plate appearances, Thompson is hitting .297/.384/.563 for a .946 OPS that is 58 percent better than league average. He has also played for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and the San Diego Padres. When you play for a team like the Dodgers, its time to produce, Thompson said. Trayce Nikolas Thompson Status: Active Nickname: Rocco's Uncle Born: 3/15/1991 in Los Angeles, CA Draft: 2009, Chicago White Sox, Round: 2, Overall Pick: 61 High School: Santa Margarita. After the game, he raced to his hotel to gather his belongings before taking a 45-minute Uber ride to Boston for a night of celebrating. Stephanie Apstein Sep 2,. Oh man! He was added to the active roster. Thompson, 31, the younger brother of four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, bouncing around nine organizations - including three stops alone this season - has. It might seem like a surprisingly harsh self-evaluation from a player who not only batted .268 with 13 home runs, 39 RBIs and a sterling .901 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 74 games with the Dodgers but did so after languishing in the minor leagues for most of the previous half-decade. The reason why Roberts prefaced his remarks by saying they would be somewhat redundant was because Thompson has been delivering since joining the Dodgers for his second stint with the team (having also played for them from 2016-17). Seeing his mental strength to go through all that and see the light at the end of the tunnel, its similar to what Ive had to go through, Trayce said. Jack Harris covers the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Times. Season 2022. Trayce, meanwhile, has helped answer some of the Dodgers midseason problems. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Trayce wasnt the only member of the Thompson family experiencing adversity at the time. But getting a lot of at-bats in front of us, I think, is helpful.. Hes not sure how long hell be there, but Thompson is confident he belongs in the majors. And as closer Craig Kimbrel labored to lock down the save in the ninth, it was Thompson's tremendous running catch in foul territory that sealed the victory. [4] Thompson spent the entire 2013 season at Double-A Birmingham where he hit .229 in 507 at bats. Biographical Information []. The Golden State Warriors superstar has yet to get married and have kids, but that doesnt mean babies arent in his future. His time with the Dodgers was on the clock too. He is outplaying Gallo and Taylor. Coming up, you always think youre gonna be with one team. Or write about sports? If you're not here, we are teeing off at nine. A Phoenix native, he originally interned at The Times before joining the staff in 2019. That was going to be Craigs last hitter, so we needed every bit of that.. Straight on, its hard to spot the resemblance, but in profile, hes a dead-ringer for Klay. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. BET $5 ON ANY PREGAME MONEYLINE AND GET $200 IF YOU WIN! Now, I got back here right towards the end of June, beginning of July. As Bill Plunkett writes in the Orange County Register, the Dodgers expected Thompson to be solid, but no one expected him to be as good as he has been, including manager Dave Roberts. After stops in L.A., Oakland, Chicago, San Diego, and a half dozen minor league teams, Trayce is back with the Dodgers, where he has found an MLB home. I ask if Klay expects him to wear his signature Antas or if he gives him a special carve out for Kobes. The battery is very much charged, Thompson said. Meet Trayce Thompson Wife Jillian -Married Life. (Age 24-142d, I was just physically questioning, Can I get back to who I was?, The minor league season was canceled for Covid-19 in 2020, so Trayce went north to spend time with Klay and Mychel, who lived together in the Bay. And on the games final, fateful play, he sprinted 83 feet in 4.6 seconds to make a game-ending grab that, according to Statcast, had a 35 percent catch probability. Their talks, however, were impactful for Trayce too. That's real perseverance and will power to just grind every day to fulfill your dreams. I wasnt professionally in a place where [I could do it], he said. [10], On March 13, 2022, Thompson signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres. Klay currently has one baby in his life, that baby is his nephew, Baby Thompson. Over 13 years in professional baseball, the journeyman outfielder has been with nine franchises; played for 19 major and minor league teams; been traded, purchased or claimed six times. [25] On November 3, 2021, Thompson was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and elected free agency two days later. Trayce, right, with brothers Klay and Mychel in 2017. After squeezing the baseball in his glove, his momentum took him all the way into the netting above the wall as he deftly eluded the retreating ballboy. Rotowire Jan 13, 2023. Trayce Thompson was the difference Friday, both at the plate and in the field. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. So I had no excuse but to do everything I can to get back [to the majors] and reestablish myself.. The Thompsons are a close-knit family that has celebrated each others success through the years. T rayce Thompson was the difference Friday, both at the plate and in the field. Outfielder Trayce Thompson began playing in the Chicago White Sox system in 2009. During Fathers Day afternoon on June 19, in a game Mychal was watching live on his computer from his hotel room, Trayce hit a sixth-inning single that raised his season batting average to .299. I feel like these last couple years, really starting back in 19, has been a journey towards that.. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. Before that, he covered the Angels, the Kings and almost everything else the L.A. sports scene had to offer. It would be different if I was limited or really not the same type of athlete. Rocco's Uncle is a nickname for Trayce Thompson. Trayce Nikolas Thompson Bats Right, Throws Right; Height 6' 3", Weight 210 lb. This season, Thompson, who played six games for the San Diego Padres in April and May, is batting a combined .305/.365/.721 with 17 homers in 170 plate appearances at Triple A. 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