2022 Mets Draft profile: Rhylan Thomas

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Rhylan Thomas played varsity baseball for four seasons at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California, earning All-Marmonte League honors as a sophomore, junior and senior and All-County honors as a senior. Considered a follow by scouts and evaluators, he ended up not being drafted in the 2019 MLB Draft and honored his commitment to USC.

His freshman season was abbreviated due to the cancellation of the season, but in the limited time that he was able to play, he impressed, hitting .356/.412/.422 in 15 games with 0 home runs, 2 stolen bases in 3 attempts, and 4 walks to 5 strikeouts. He returned to USC the next year as a redshirt freshman appeared in 49 games for the Trojans, hitting .296/.343/.398 with 2 home runs, 9 stolen bases in 14 attempts, and 13 walks to 14 strikeouts. That summer, he had a strong showing at the Cape Cod League. Appearing in 12 games for the Orleans Firebirds, he hit .408/.442/.469 with 0 home runs, 3 stolen bases in 6 attempts, and 3 walks to 4 strikeouts. This past season, the 22-year-old redshirt sophomore had his best season to date, hitting .363/.422/.444 in 53 games with 2 home runs, 8 stolen bases in 12 attempts, and 19 walks to 17 strikeouts.

Thomas stands square at the plate, holding his hands high. He swings with a slight leg kick and has impressive bat-to-ball skills and an advanced understanding of the strike zone. Thomas doesn’t have much power, and even though he is a lean 6’, 170-pounds, he is unlikely to add much muscle mass to his frame. That said, he is still filling out and should add some power but will never display enough power for the modern day game. His above-average speed helps him on the basepaths, swiping bases and turning hits into extra bases, and in the outfield. USC’s centerfielder, Thomas has plenty of range, effortlessly tracking down balls with long, smooth strides.