The Los Angeles Dodgers entered Spring Training with a plethora of outfield depth, with the likes of Kiké Hernandez, Matt Kemp, Joc Pederson, Trayce Thompson, Andrew Toles and Alex Verdugo all expected to compete for playing time in left field.
For Thompson, he’s looking to bounce back from a down season in 2017. He appeared in just 27 games at the Major League level and failed to build off an impressive showing during the first two seasons of his career.
Thompson believes he was overly limited in Spring Training last season, which led to his slow start. He expressed frustration by his lost year and believes he took multiple steps back, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I was normal from Day One (last spring). I thought so,” Thompson says now. “But I didn’t have a whole lot of reps in spring training. I pushed for it, but they were kind of guarding me. It is what it is.
“It showed in my results. I wasn’t myself, you know. I thought in ’15 I really turned a corner baseball-wise with everything – mechanics, production. So to take a step – nine steps really – back was tough.”
In his first season with the Dodgers in 2016, Thompson hit .225/.302/.436 with 11 doubles and 13 home runs over 262 plate appearances. Most of that production came in May, before a complicated back injury sidelined him for the second half.
Thompson couldn’t return to form last season, and consequently posted career-lows in nearly every offensive category. That included batting average (.122), extra-base hits (four) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.483).
The 26-year-old is out of Minor League options, so his future in Los Angeles is uncertain. If Thompson doesn’t break camp with the Dodgers, he’ll have to clear through waivers to remain in the organization.
