Let me tell you a story about a very popular Dodger that could have quit, at times maybe thought he should have quit, but didn’t quit, and has now turned his trials in the game of baseball into what has become a very popular triumph. Now, let me tell you the story of Trayce Thompson.

Growing Up Thompson

Thompson grew up in Oregon and moved to California as a teenager and has grown up around stars, His dad, Mychal, was the top overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft and won 2 Championships with the Lakers in the 80s, and his brothers Klay and Mychel both followed suit on the hardwood. So, being in the basketball spotlight runs in his family, but, instead of being the next Thompson on the Hardwood, he chose a different path, a different sport, baseball, and to pave his own way one hit a time.

Pro Career

Thompson was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 2009 draft by the White Sox and entered pro ball full of promise. It took parts of 7 different seasons for the athletic Right-Hander to make his MLB debut, but on August 4 of 2015, he did just that. Thompson debuted at home against Tampa Bay and started out hot. During the month of August in 2015, his first month in the Big Leagues, he went 15 for 32 (.468) with 4 doubles, a triple, 3 home runs, and 27 total bases. The young Outfielder, who grew up amongst stars, was beginning to become a shining star of his own, but, baseball is hard, and trials were ahead.

The up-and-coming outfielder finished the rest of 2015 just 21/90, then hit just .225 in 236 at-bats in 2016, and was traded in the off-season to the Dodgers along with Frankie Montas and Micah Johnson. In that same deal, the Reds got Jose Peraza, Scott Schebler, and Brandon Dixon while the White Sox got third baseman, Todd Frazier. Thompson was now a Dodger, and was ready to become the next Thompson to become a star in LA. But, that’s when things took an even sharper turn.

AAA OKC

Thompson began 2017 in AAA OKC with hopes to head West, but baseball is a hard game, and had different plans for the time being. The 6’3 outfielder started the year in OKC 0 for his first 26, 2 for his first 44, and just 3 for his first 55. Being a season ticket holder with OKC, and a MiLB subscriber, I watched almost every one of those at-bats, and although it was tough to watch, it also is the period in time where, in many ways, the Dodgers became the most impressed with him. Thompson never wavered, he was always a first-class teammate, his preparation was elite and so was his hustle, effort, and attitude. He worked tirelessly on offensive adjustments and never let his guard down to frustration or failure.

After hitting just .045 in April, Thompson recovered and hit .251 in the next two months and got called up to LA in late June where he went 3 for 12. But, just as things were looking up again, the struggles returned and he went just 3 for 27 for the rest of the year.

Post Dodger

After getting 49 at-bats with LA in 2017, Thompson was Designated for Assignment by the Dodgers just ahead of the 2018 season. The Yankees initially claimed him off of waivers before the A’s scooped him off the waiver wire, then traded him back to the White Sox where it all started for the traveled outfielder. In June of that year, 2018, the White Sox outrighted him back to AAA, but instead of accepting that assignment, he chose free Agency and was picked up by Cleveland but then released at the end of that year.

Thompson was a free agent again, and just before the 2020 season, he signed a Minor League contract with the Diamondbacks, only to see the 2020 Minor League season get canceled. After a 2020 season with no official at-bats or action in any official game, Thompson was then traded to the Cubs, sent to AAA Iowa, got called up to Chicago in September, hit just .167, and was again Designated for Assignment, cleared waivers and was outrighted back to AAA Iowa. But, again, instead of accepting that assignment, he, instead, chose to become a free agent again and was signed by the Padres to a Minor League contract.

Back to the Dodgers

Thompson started this year with the Padres and went 2 for 14 in April and May before, once again, being placed on and clearing waivers, designated for assignment, one of which he refused, became a free agent. He was picked up by Detroit in May, only to be traded to the Dodgers in June for cash considerations.

To understand just how big of a triumph Thompson’s return has been, you needed to understand the trials that went into it. Since 2017, he has been outright released once, designated for assignment 5 times, traded 4 times, and has been a free agent on three different occasions. So, having gone through all of that, and with the struggles, he had at the end of his tenure with the Dodgers, why did they want him back? Culture, and potential, that’s why!

Trial to Triumph

It seems as if in every article I write about the Dodgers culture in some way, and for good reason. The Dodgers are very careful with the type of people they put in their dugout, and culture is very important to them. The Dodgers also have a great developmental system with every tool and type of instructor any athlete could want, so, when a player like Thompson became easily available for just cash considerations, it probably wasn’t that hard of a decision to re-invest in the Santa Margarita native.

Thompson checks every box that the Dodgers look for in guys that are looking to redefine their careers. He has great skills, size, athletic ability, and potential, combined with elite intangibles to fit the culture of the organization. When you combine that with his bloodlines of a champion, it’s easy to project that type of player as a sleeping giant that just needs a reset and a spark, and that is what has happened. Since Thompson has been acquired his trials have come full circle and have since become a story of triumph, and one that puts a smile on everyone that knew Thompson the first time he was a Dodger.