Athletics Farmhand Casey Thomas Dies

Casey Thomas, a 34th-round pick of the Athletics last June from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the son of A’s pro scout Tom Thomas, died unexpectedly in Phoenix, where he was participating in extended spring training.

Thomas was 24.

In a statement, Oakland executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said, “We were devastated to hear of this tragedy within the A’s family. Our hearts go out to Tom and his family on their loss; Casey was a wonderful young man and teammate, and will be missed by all in the A’s organization.”

Thomas hit .322 for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as a senior in 2016, then played in the Rookie-level Arizona League after signing. Thomas, a Phoenix native, also had played baseball at Gateway (Ariz.) CC and Desert Vista High.

It is the third time in three seasons that an Oakland prospect died in an untimely fashion. Righthander Sean Murphy died in 2016, and Mike Nolan died in 2015 after he was shot in a Burger King parking lot.