Blue Jays Prospect Jake Thomas Is an OBP Machine

Jake Thomas is flying under the radar with a sky-high OBP. Playing on a Lansing Lugnuts team that features some of the top prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays system, the 23-year-old outfielder has logged 17 hits, and drawn 27 walks, in 84 plate appearances. His slash line is an eye-popping .315/.536/.407.

On-base percentage was his MO in college — Thomas slashed .322/.453/.470 at SUNY Binghamton — but MLB clubs weren’t exactly clamoring to procure his services. He went undrafted in 2014, and when he joined the Blue Jays organization a year later, it was as a 27th-round senior sign. When he reported to rookie ball, he did so with a degree in finance and the odds against him.

The uphill battle continued last summer. Despite having put up a .393 OBP in the Gulf Coast League, Thomas began his first full professional season in extended spring training. He was subsequently promoted to Low-A Lansing, in June, but his first go-round with the Lugnuts was pedestrian at best. As Courtney Barnett sang on Saturday Night Live, the left-handed hitter “made a mess of what should be a small success.” He slashed just .244/.326/.315.

A month into the current campaign, his performance belongs on a pedestal. He’s recorded the highest on-base percentage in the minor leagues by some margin. Plate discipline, and confidence in his bat-to-ball skills, are the reasons why.

“I focus on not trying to do too much at the plate,” Thomas told me on Thursday. “I just try to stay relaxed and play to my strength, which is seeing the ball. You also have to control what you want to do. If you don’t have a plan, there’s no way you can take pitches that are close, or not be swinging at pitches you shouldn’t be swinging at in certain counts.”

Thomas elaborated that he zeroes in on a specific area. If the pitch isn’t there, he lets it go. That includes pitches within the strike zone, even when he has the advantage. He’s likewise willing to fall behind in the count. As the Merrick, New York, native explained, “I feel so comfortable hitting with two strikes that it doesn’t matter.”

Getting to The Show does matter to him, but at the same time, he’s not about to lose sleep stressing about the likelihood of it ever happening. He’s well aware that having an OBP north of .500 only means so much when you’re 23 years old and playing in the Midwest League. More so, it’s hard to get fast-tracked when your teammates include Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bradley Jones, Josh Palacios, and J.B. Woodman.

“If someone views me a prospect, or doesn’t view me as a prospect, that’s their opinion,” rationalized Thomas. “I just try to control what I can can control. I put some pressure on myself when I first started out, but the more pressure you put on yourself, the worse you’re going to do. Making it to the big leagues is every minor leaguer’s dream, but at this point I just go out there and do my best, and whatever baseball has planned for me is what I’m going to get out of it.”

Right now, what’s he getting out of it is an on-base percentage that would make Wade Boggs blush. Five weeks into what he hopes is his breakout season, Thomas is quietly making origami out of minor-league pitching.