Tahnaj Thomas

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #18 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Thomas was a shortstop in the Bahamas as an amateur and first tried pitching in 2016 only out of necessity—his travel team ran out of arms at a tournament. But he quickly took to it and converted full time shortly after, signing with Cleveland that year. He was traded to the Pirates two years later, and he showed immense upside as a developmental arm. Thomas was one of several high-profile arms in High-A Greensboro’s rotation in 2021 and struggled, walking more than five batters per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Thomas is highly athletic and can touch triple digits thanks to his considerable arm strength. He sits in the upper 90s when he stays on top of his fastball out of a high arm slot. It shows impressive ride and late life in the zone. But Thomas struggles to sync his delivery, causing the quality of his fastball to suffer, and scouts noted he sometimes throttles down in velocity to throw strikes. Breaking pitch development is key to Thomas’ trajectory. So far, he’s shown a streaky ability to land his slurvy slider for strikes but doesn’t consistently spin it. He also throws an average changeup, though multiple evaluators speculated he may benefit from swapping it for more of a splitter to pair with the power fastball.
  
  The Future: Thomas was always going to move slowly because of his lack of pitching experience. The Pirates still believe he can start, citing his competitiveness, athleticism and development window. He’ll need to find a consistent breaking ball, and his strike-throwing needs to take a leap forward, but he has the fallback option of a high-leverage reliever.
  
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #8 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 70. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Thomas trained as a shortstop in the Bahamas and moved to the mound only after signing with the Indians for $200,000 in 2016. The Pirates acquired Thomas in the November 2018 that trade sent Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff to Cleveland. Thomas’ velocity spiked and his control improved after the trade, helping him emerge as one of the top pitchers in the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thomas hasn’t pitched in a live game since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he was sitting 95-99 mph and touching 101 with Bristol at the end of that season. His fastball gets swings and misses with plus life up in the zone, and he has steadily improved his control to become an average strike-thrower. Thomas relies heavily on his fastball, but his slider flashes above-average potential and generates swings and misses at its best. He throws his fringe-average changeup sparingly.
  
  THE FUTURE: Thomas has the kind of overpowering fastball that dominates hitters, but he needs to refine his secondary pitches. He has a chance to stick as a starter if he can improve his changeup or find another offspeed pitch. If not, he can be a dominant reliever with his fastball/slider combination.
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #6 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Thomas trained as a shortstop in the Bahamas before moving to the mound when he turned pro with the Indians. The Pirates traded Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff to Cleveland after the 2018 season in a deal centered around shortstop Erik Gonzalez, but Thomas looks like the biggest talent in the trade. He had minor shoulder injury in spring training, but made slight mechanical changes to clean up his delivery and began throwing harder with better control. He finished eighth in the Rookie-level Appalachian League with 59 strikeouts.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thomas saw his fastball go from sitting 92-95 mph at the time of the trade to 95-99 by the end of the 2019. He reached as high as 101 mph. Thomas also worked to improve his control, throwing more strikes with the improved velocity and showing average strike-throwing potential overall. His slider started to look like a potentially above-average, swing-and-miss pitch, though there is room for improvement. His fringe-average changeup will need to improve.
  
  THE FUTURE: Thomas' velocity and slider upside give him a path to be a dominant reliever in the majors, but the 20-year-old has plenty of upside in the rotation and should remain in that role going forward. He will head to low Class A Greensboro in 2020 to make his full-season debut.
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #15 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: When the Indians signed Thomas, he was a 6-foot-4 Bahamian shortstop who wanted to stay in the dirt. But Cleveland was convinced that his arm was special. After multiple conversations he agreed to sign with the Indians for $200,000 as a pitcher. So far, it's been shown to be a wise move. He missed the start of the Arizona League season with a visa issue, but by the Arizona League he was in fine form again. The Pirates acquired him in November in the trade that sent Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff to Cleveland.
  
  Scouting Report: Thomas is on a slow track because he is still very new to pitching, but he has the makings of a durable mid-rotation starter if it all comes together as he has size and athleticism to go with promising stuff. He sits 92-96 mph with a potentially plus fastball. After working with a slurvy slider in 2017, Thomas sharpened it into a tighter pitch with better slider shape in 2018. Thomas delivery is effortful and he needs to improve his below-average control.
  
  The Future: Thomas is still figuring out what he's doing on the mound, but he's made impressive strides in velocity, durability and feel for pitching in the past two seasons. It's unlikely he'll be ready for a full-season assignment.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked National League #19 prospect in 2019
  A converted shortstop who signed as a pitcher thanks to special arm talent, Thomas took a big step forward this year in the strike-throwing department, going from 4.6 walks per nine innings a year ago in the Arizona League to 2.6 per nine this summer in 48.1 innings in the Appy League. Evaluators have called Thomas a quick learner, and he spent the majority of his season attempting to more consistently land an electric fastball that’s regularly in the mid-90s. He overthrew at times early in the season but slowly started to figure things out as the year progressed. Thomas throws a slider that has a chance to be a solid secondary but needs more consistency, as well as a changeup, and he also added a sinker to his arsenal. His fastball is far and away his best offering at the moment, and at his current level he’s able to overpower hitters without going to any of his secondaries at times.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #13 prospect in 2018
  Thomas was an infielder with scant pitching experience when the Indians signed him for $200,000 in 2016, so the extremely athletic righthander is still understandably very raw on the mound. But Thomas' inexperience didn't keep Arizona League observers from being wowed by the potential and aptitude for his craft, even though his season got off to a late start due to visa issues that kept him back in the Bahamas for the first month of the season. Thomas touched 94 this year with his heavy fastball, and there should be more velocity in the tank as he matures. The arm works well and he has good feel to spin his breaking ball, with his max effort delivery keeping hitters off-balance. Thomas needs to better repeat his mechanics to improve the command, but there's a lot to like about the kid. "You see the big arm, you see the breaking ball, and then you see the length in the body plus the youthfulness and the fresh arm because he hasn't thrown that much in his whole life," Indians manager Larry Day said. "There's certainly plenty to be excited about."

• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record:: Thomas was a shortstop in the Bahamas as an amateur and first tried pitching in 2016 only out of necessity—his travel team ran out of arms at a tournament. But he quickly took to it and converted full time shortly after, signing with Cleveland that year. He was traded to the Pirates two years later, and he showed immense upside as a developmental arm. Thomas was one of several high-profile arms in High-A Greensboro&#39s rotation in 2021 and struggled, walking more than five batters per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Thomas is highly athletic and can touch triple digits thanks to his considerable arm strength. He sits in the upper 90s when he stays on top of his fastball out of a high arm slot. It shows impressive ride and late life in the zone. But Thomas struggles to sync his delivery, causing the quality of his fastball to suffer, and scouts noted he sometimes throttles down in velocity to throw strikes. Breaking pitch development is key to Thomas&#39 trajectory. So far, he&#39s shown a streaky ability to land his slurvy slider for strikes but doesn&#39t consistently spin it. He also throws an average changeup, though multiple evaluators speculated he may benefit from swapping it for more of a splitter to pair with the power fastball.
  
  The Future: Thomas was always going to move slowly because of his lack of pitching experience. The Pirates still believe he can start, citing his competitiveness, athleticism and development window. He&#39ll need to find a consistent breaking ball, and his strike-throwing needs to take a leap forward, but he has the fallback option of a high-leverage reliever.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Thomas was a shortstop in the Bahamas as an amateur and first tried pitching in 2016 only out of necessity—his travel team ran out of arms at a tournament. But he quickly took to it and converted full time shortly after, signing with Cleveland that year. He was traded to the Pirates two years later, and he showed immense upside as a developmental arm. Thomas was one of several high-profile arms in High-A Greensboro’s rotation in 2021 and struggled, walking more than five batters per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Thomas is highly athletic and can touch triple digits thanks to his considerable arm strength. He sits in the upper 90s when he stays on top of his fastball out of a high arm slot. It shows impressive ride and late life in the zone. But Thomas struggles to sync his delivery, causing the quality of his fastball to suffer, and scouts noted he sometimes throttles down in velocity to throw strikes. Breaking pitch development is key to Thomas’ trajectory. So far, he’s shown a streaky ability to land his slurvy slider for strikes but doesn’t consistently spin it. He also throws an average changeup, though multiple evaluators speculated he may benefit from swapping it for more of a splitter to pair with the power fastball.
  
  The Future: Thomas was always going to move slowly because of his lack of pitching experience. The Pirates still believe he can start, citing his competitiveness, athleticism and development window. He’ll need to find a consistent breaking ball, and his strike-throwing needs to take a leap forward, but he has the fallback option of a high-leverage reliever.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 70. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Thomas trained as a shortstop in the Bahamas and moved to the mound only after signing with the Indians for $200,000 in 2016. The Pirates acquired Thomas in the November 2018 that trade sent Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff to Cleveland. Thomas' velocity spiked and his control improved after the trade, helping him emerge as one of the top pitchers in the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thomas hasn't pitched in a live game since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he was sitting 95-99 mph and touching 101 with Bristol at the end of that season. His fastball gets swings and misses with plus life up in the zone, and he has steadily improved his control to become an average strike-thrower. Thomas relies heavily on his fastball, but his slider flashes above-average potential and generates swings and misses at its best. He throws his fringe-average changeup sparingly.
  
  THE FUTURE: Thomas has the kind of overpowering fastball that dominates hitters, but he needs to refine his secondary pitches. He has a chance to stick as a starter if he can improve his changeup or find another offspeed pitch. If not, he can be a dominant reliever with his fastball/slider combination.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 70. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Thomas trained as a shortstop in the Bahamas and moved to the mound only after signing with the Indians for $200,000 in 2016. The Pirates acquired Thomas in the November 2018 that trade sent Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff to Cleveland. Thomas’ velocity spiked and his control improved after the trade, helping him emerge as one of the top pitchers in the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thomas hasn’t pitched in a live game since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he was sitting 95-99 mph and touching 101 with Bristol at the end of that season. His fastball gets swings and misses with plus life up in the zone, and he has steadily improved his control to become an average strike-thrower. Thomas relies heavily on his fastball, but his slider flashes above-average potential and generates swings and misses at its best. He throws his fringe-average changeup sparingly.
  
  THE FUTURE: Thomas has the kind of overpowering fastball that dominates hitters, but he needs to refine his secondary pitches. He has a chance to stick as a starter if he can improve his changeup or find another offspeed pitch. If not, he can be a dominant reliever with his fastball/slider combination.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 70. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Thomas trained as a shortstop in the Bahamas and moved to the mound only after signing with the Indians for $200,000 in 2016. The Pirates acquired Thomas in the November 2018 that trade sent Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff to Cleveland. Thomas’ velocity spiked and his control improved after the trade, helping him emerge as one of the top pitchers in the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thomas hasn’t pitched in a live game since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he was sitting 95-99 mph and touching 101 with Bristol at the end of that season. His fastball gets swings and misses with plus life up in the zone, and he has steadily improved his control to become an average strike-thrower. Thomas relies heavily on his fastball, but his slider flashes above-average potential and generates swings and misses at its best. He throws his fringe-average changeup sparingly.
  
  THE FUTURE: Thomas has the kind of overpowering fastball that dominates hitters, but he needs to refine his secondary pitches. He has a chance to stick as a starter if he can improve his changeup or find another offspeed pitch. If not, he can be a dominant reliever with his fastball/slider combination.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Thomas trained as a shortstop in the Bahamas before moving to the mound when he turned pro with the Indians. The Pirates traded Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff to Cleveland after the 2018 season in a deal centered around shortstop Erik Gonzalez, but Thomas looks like the biggest talent in the trade. He had minor shoulder injury in spring training, but made slight mechanical changes to clean up his delivery and began throwing harder with better control. He finished eighth in the Rookie-level Appalachian League with 59 strikeouts.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thomas saw his fastball go from sitting 92-95 mph at the time of the trade to 95-99 by the end of the 2019. He reached as high as 101 mph. Thomas also worked to improve his control, throwing more strikes with the improved velocity and showing average strike-throwing potential overall. His slider started to look like a potentially above-average, swing-and-miss pitch, though there is room for improvement. His fringe-average changeup will need to improve.
  
  THE FUTURE: Thomas’ velocity and slider upside give him a path to be a dominant reliever in the majors, but the 20-year-old has plenty of upside in the rotation and should remain in that role going forward. He will head to low Class A Greensboro in 2020 to make his full-season debut.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Thomas trained as a shortstop in the Bahamas before moving to the mound when he turned pro with the Indians. The Pirates traded Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff to Cleveland after the 2018 season in a deal centered around shortstop Erik Gonzalez, but Thomas looks like the biggest talent in the trade. He had minor shoulder injury in spring training, but made slight mechanical changes to clean up his delivery and began throwing harder with better control. He finished eighth in the Rookie-level Appalachian League with 59 strikeouts.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Thomas saw his fastball go from sitting 92-95 mph at the time of the trade to 95-99 by the end of the 2019. He reached as high as 101 mph. Thomas also worked to improve his control, throwing more strikes with the improved velocity and showing average strike-throwing potential overall. His slider started to look like a potentially above-average, swing-and-miss pitch, though there is room for improvement. His fringe-average changeup will need to improve.
  
  THE FUTURE: Thomas' velocity and slider upside give him a path to be a dominant reliever in the majors, but the 20-year-old has plenty of upside in the rotation and should remain in that role going forward. He will head to low Class A Greensboro in 2020 to make his full-season debut.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  A converted shortstop who signed as a pitcher thanks to special arm talent, Thomas took a big step forward this year in the strike-throwing department, going from 4.6 walks per nine innings a year ago in the Arizona League to 2.6 per nine this summer in 48.1 innings in the Appy League. Evaluators have called Thomas a quick learner, and he spent the majority of his season attempting to more consistently land an electric fastball that’s regularly in the mid-90s. He overthrew at times early in the season but slowly started to figure things out as the year progressed. Thomas throws a slider that has a chance to be a solid secondary but needs more consistency, as well as a changeup, and he also added a sinker to his arsenal. His fastball is far and away his best offering at the moment, and at his current level he’s able to overpower hitters without going to any of his secondaries at times.