Andy Thompson

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #13 prospect in 2001
  Thompson, the organization's No. 8 prospect entering 2000, slipped after his first full season in Triple-A. Few players in the organization have as much power, and he also has a strong right-field arm. He has been compared to Mariners slugger Jay Buhner, but only when he makes contact--and Thompson didn't do that consistently enough in 2000. He hit 31 homers in 1999, but Jays officials believe he focused on trying to hit longballs too much in 2000. When he missed a pitch, he frequently missed badly, as he was trying to jerk everything over the fence. Pitchers fed him a steady diet of breaking balls away, and he failed to adjust until the final two weeks of the season. The Jays still hope Thompson will learn to rely on his bat speed to bring out his tremendous power. He has shown the ability to draw a walk, and his power is too good to give up on.