Another addition to the Rolodex of players the Los Angeles Angels used during the 2022 season was Dillon Thomas, a 13-year veteran of professional baseball, who signed in the winter of 2021 to a Minor League contract.
Thomas, 30, was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, but after slowly progressing through their Minor League system and running out of options, he elected free agency. He’s had stops with a few franchises including the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Astros and then the Angels.
He made his season debut for the Angels on June 9 against the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium. After reaching base two times via a walk and a hit by pitch, Thomas scored one run, his only as a member of the team.
Thomas would go on to appear in eight total games for the team, registering just one hit in 14 plate appearances, striking out six times. He rotated between left and right field, playing in some capacity in four straight games from July 22 to July 25.
He is a career .268/.346/.420 hitter across 11 professional seasons with 81 home runs and 459 RBI.
Dillon Thomas 2022 highlight
His lone hit with the club was a single on July 31 in a matchup with the Texas Rangers. Thomas also recorded a walk but didn’t come around to score in the Angels’ 5-2 loss.
The Angels squandered a gem of a start by left-hander Reid Detmers after he tossed seven innings, allowing just one earned run.
2023 outlook
Thomas remains unsigned heading into the 2023 season, and without a clear indication his talent has anything left untapped, his opportunity to tack onto a team isn’t likely.
He could receive another non-guaranteed contract with an invite to Spring Training, but he’ll probably need to wait until teams begin to ramp up baseball activities in early Spring. He could also decide to call it a career, play independent ball or head out of the country to play internationally.
Still, despite the lack of upside, he is solid organizational depth for any Minor League team.
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