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2003 season Thompson playing old style
"small ball" for AFL Desert Dogs Rich Thompson doesn't mind being called a "throwback" player.
"Yeah, I like that term," stated the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield prospect, currently in the Arizona Fall League as a member of the Mesa Desert Dogs. "It means more of a 'small ball' type of guy ... bunting and manufacturing runs." Like Juan Pierre has done at the major league level with his play for the world champion Florida Marlins, Thompson is proving that there's a need for the type of player that can disrupt a game with pure speed and doing the little things to help his team win the game. "I think he's opened some eyes that teams still need that," said Thompson about Pierre's role with the Marlins. The native Pennsylvanian also compared his baseball skill set with that of former major league center fielder Brett Butler. "He was a guy who could bunt on anybody," Thompson said about Butler. "Those are the kind of skills to have right now." Thompson is certainly drawing attention with his play in Arizona after the first two thirds of the Fall season. The 24-year-old left-handed batter, who was acquired by Pittsburgh in a mid-season trade with the Toronto organization, is hitting a solid .352/.415/.549 in 71 at bats. Not known for having much of any power during his four-year pro career, Thompson is hitting with more authority in the AFL, collecting three doubles, four triples and a homerun among his 25 hits. He's stolen seven bases in 10 tries. Judging from his performance for the Desert Dogs, Thompson is certainly meeting the goals he set for himself coming into the Arizona Fall League --- and then some. "I just wanted to work on my lead-off skills," commented the product of James Madison University. "I wanted to work on putting the ball in play, getting on base, stealing bases, scoring runs and getting in scoring position." Thompson is a strong center fielder with excellent range, but he came to Arizona also hoping to improve his defense. "I wanted to work on my jumps in the outfield," continued Thompson, "and try to make my arm as accurate as possible." But all things considered, Thompson's blazing speed is what will get him to the big leagues over his other skills. It's what got him into the respected college program at James Madison despite his limited baseball experience during high school. "I was very raw coming out of high school," said Thompson. "I played 10 games my senior year. There was a lot of snow and we didn't practice outside much. I probably played about 20 games in the summer, so I was really behind the curve."
Thompson explained how the Harrisonburg, Virginia school, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, took a chance on a raw, untested player from northeastern Pennsylvania. "I basically went to college on my speed alone," he said. "They saw me running a 60-yard dash and signed me on that hoping that I was athletic enough to learn the rest." He believes that the experience he gained at James Madison was valuable. "Three years of college baseball in a pretty good conference just went a long way," explained Thompson. "I still had a lot to work on when I was drafted, but ... I've really been helped a lot by the coaching (at James Madison)." Thompson may have really caught a career break when he was acquired by Pittsburgh in the July 2003 trade for veteran pitcher John Wasdin. The general consensus is that he would never have fit in well with Toronto's power-based offensive approach. "I was very excited," remarked Thompson, when asked about the deal that brought him to Pittsburgh. "When I was playing in AAA a lot of the veteran guys told me that thought I had a good future if I got over to the National League, somewhere they needed a guy with my skills more than in the American League. So I was pretty happy." While he hit only .257 during his time with the Pirates' AAA affiliate in Nashville, Thompson flashed his speed by stealing 22 bases in 35 games. Combined over his time in AA and with two AAA teams, he set a career high with a total of 48 swipes. He's stolen 165 bases in his four seasons since leaving college. Thompson is pleased with the help he's already gotten from the Pittsburgh minor league coaching staff. "I think all of them have been very helpful," he said. "Trent Jewett and Jay Loviglio in AAA ... were very helpful in making me feel comfortable and giving me an idea of what they wanted to see me do." He added, "It's a nice organization to be part of." In order to best utilize his speed, Thompson knows that he needs to cut down on his strikeouts, even though he fanned only 55 times in 403 at bats during the regular season. "I don't strike out a lot now, but Pierre, for example, or Brett Butler, those guys struck out only once every 15 at bats," he said. "I only need to put the ball in play and I've got a chance (to get on base). So doing that and getting my walks up would be good." With the Pirates organization in a constant rebuilding phase, the opportunity is there for Thompson to make an impact in Pittsburgh soon, perhaps as early as next season. --- Bill Mitchell All photos on the Arizona Fall League Report are credited to Bill Mitchell, unless noted otherwise, and are not to be used for any other purpose without express permission.
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