Chicago White Sox: While We Waited – Part 3 – Trayce Thompson

While we waited for them to become contenders, Trayce Thompson was an outfielder for the Chicago White Sox in 2015 and 2018.

Drafted 11th overall in 2011 out of Washington State, when he made his debut he made it known to everyone that this guy was going to be a superstar. Averaging 19.5 points per game… wait… those are Klay Thompon’s stats. The Chicago White Sox did not sign Klay, they signed his brother. In the second round of the 2009 draft, the White Sox selected Trayce Thompson out of high school.

He played in the rookie league to Low-A Kannapolis from 2009 to 2011. In 2012, he was promoted three times from Single-A Winston-Salem to Double-A Birmingham and then ending his 2012 at Triple-A Charlotte. Thompson had a hard time jumping over that last final obstacle that is Triple-A. After six years in the minors, he finally made his debut in August of 2015 at 24 years old. In his 44 games, Thompson crushed it. He hit an average of .295 with an on-base percentage of .363. He also slugged .533 with five home runs and eight doubles. His OPS of .896 is also worth noting.

His strong performance allowed the White Sox to use him as a trade piece. In the offseason before the 2016 season, the Sox were involved in a blockbuster three-team trade. Micah Johnson, Frankie Montas, and Thompson, three White Sox prospects fans were excited about, were sent to the Dodgers. Los Angeles sent José Peraza, Brandon Dixon and Scott Schebler to the Reds and Cincinnati sent Todd Frazier to Chicago.

Since departing from the White Sox, Thompson hit a brick wall. In 2016 he played 80 games for the Dodgers but would not play more than 51 games since then. He was sent to Oakland in 2018 when they claimed him off waivers but he just recorded one hit in just seven at-bats.

Thompson found his way back to Chicago when the White Sox acquired him in April of 2018. In the lineup, he filled the spot that injured Avisail Garcia left. He needed to make a good impression to keep a job. Unfortunately, he could not change the tides. He played in 48 games but was nowhere near the production level he was at in 2015. A slash of .116/.163/.215 is actually frightening to look at but wasn’t unexpected. In June, Thompson was cleared of waivers and sent down to Triple-A Charlotte.

He spent his 2019 wth Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. He still provided a lackluster stat line with a .219 average and .294 OBP. One thing worth noting is how high Thompson’s slugging percentage is at a consistent rate. In his 202 game MLB career so far, he holds a .389 slug. In his 10 seasons in the minors, 964 games, it is at a .424 slugging percentage.

Thompson has the ability to drive the ball well and defensively can play all three outfield positions, but getting hits when he needs to and taking more walks has been the demon that has been following him since ‘09. Today, Thompson is an Arizona Diamondback under a minor league contract.