Toughness Shines Through For Rockies’ Jared Thomas In Pro Debut

“We get the MRI, and his quad is detached in a place from the bone, which is clearly a very serious injury,” Rockies assistant farm director Jesse Stender said. “He’s trying to play through this torn quad muscle.”

A healthy Thomas began spring training with the Fresno work group. The 21-year-old thought he belonged in the High-A Spokane work group and told Stender and farm director Chris Forbes.

“He essentially let his play do his talking from that point forward,” said Stender, adding that Thomas, who bats and throws lefthanded, will open the season at Spokane.

He was an outfielder and first baseman at Texas, but now will solely focus on the outfield where he can play all three positions. Thomas’ athleticism suggests he will be a serviceable outfielder, but it’s his bat that will carry him.

Thomas has a picturesque swing and power to all fields. To date, it’s more raw power than game game, though he homered twice in a spring game.

At a minimum, Thomas projects to have average overall hitting ability and power.

“He just has a good feel to hit,” Stender said. “Uses the whole field. He seems like a very advanced hitter for his short time in pro ball and limited number of at-bats by the time we got him out of Fresno.

“He’s got a good feel for the zone. (Has a) comfort level. It doesn’t seem like he gets sped up. He gets to two strikes, he still gets off his ‘A’ swing.”

ROCKY ROADS

— Barring a setback, outfielder Charlie Condon will be ready to begin his age-22 season at High-A Spokane around mid May. He suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left wrist on March 11 when he dove for a fly ball in his first minor league game of the spring. Condon did not suffer ligament damage. After being drafted third overall in 2024 out of Georgia, Condon hit .180/.248/.270 with one home run in 25 games with Spokane while dealing with a bone spur on his right ring finger that caused him to change his grip on the bat. 

— Lefthander Konner Eaton is scheduled to open the season in the High-A Spokane rotation. He started at George Mason before the Rockies drafted him in the sixth round last year, but then was effective in a combined 10 relief appearances for Low-A Fresno and Spokane—where one of his two outings was in the Northwest League championship series—raising the possibility the Rockies might keep the 22-year-old in the bullpen and, hence, on a faster track to the majors.

— Righthander Jeff Criswell had Tommy John surgery on March 14. The Athletics drafted Criswell in the second round in 2020 out of Michigan and traded him to the Rockies after the 2022 season. Criswell made his major league debut last year, going 1-0, 2.75 while averaging 12.4 strikeouts and 4.1 walks per nine innings in 13 games with the Rockies and 1-1, 6.24 in 35 games with Triple-A Albuquerque, where averaged 13.0 strikeouts and 4.4 walks per nine innings.

— Righthander Jace Kaminska had Tommy John surgery on March 24. Lefthander Luichi Casilla was awaiting Tommy John surgery after suffering a UCL tear. Kaminska, 23, drafted in the 10th round in 2023 out of Nebraska, went 5-5, 2.78 last year in 17 games, 16 starts, totaling 87.1 innings at Low-A Fresno, where he averaged 10.7 strikeouts and 1.6 walks per nine innings and was named California League pitcher of the year. Casilla, 20, a native of the Dominican Republic, went 3-2, 7.00 last year in 12 games, seven starts, in the Arizona Complex League, where he worked 36 innings and averaged 14.3 strikeouts and 7.0 walks per nine innings.