Power Begins To Play For David Thompson

Among the best performances by a Mets prospect in the Arizona Fall League came from David Thompson, a 24-year-old third baseman with a reputation for hitting the long ball.

Thompson hit .328/.371/.569 with one home run and 15 RBIs in 15 games for Scottsdale in the AFL after spending the season at Double-A Binghamton.

As a high school player at Westminster Christian in Miami, Thompson hit 55 career homers to break the state record set by Alex Rodriguez, who starred for the same school.

The Mets selected Thompson from Miami in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. In 133 games for Binghamton in 2017 he hit a career-high 16 homers and ranked fourth in the Eastern League with 29 doubles.

“He’s a kid out of the draft with big power potential, and he’s starting to show that,” assistant general manager John Ricco said. “I still think he has chance to develop further. He’s a pretty good defender, but he’s got power on the corner, and that is what we look for. He came from a big program, so I think we expect him to come in and compete, and he had a nice year.

“When you play in the Eastern League and do what he did, that is generally a good litmus test.”

Ricco said he expects Thompson to begin 2018 at Binghamton, with an eye toward Triple-A Las Vegas. He batted .263/.325/.429 last season at Binghamton and showed promise as a third baseman.

“He has a good glove, average arm strength and can make the tough play,” a talent evaluator who has scouted Thompson said. “Offensively he has pop to the pull side. He’s a gap-to-gap hitter with good plate discipline.”

With third base in flux—David Wright has missed most of the last three seasons with various ailments and Asdrubal Cabrera is unsigned beyond 2018—Mets officials will keep tabs on Thompson.

“I think he has a chance in a couple of years,” Ricco said. “He’s got enough arm to play third, and I think he stays there because of his power.”