Clete Thomas

From BR Bullpen

Michael Clete Thomas

Bats Left, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 195 lb.
School Auburn University
High School A. Crawford Mosley High School
Debut March 31, 2008

Born November 14, 1983 in Jacksonville, FL, USA

"From what I've seen he's the best tools prospect that we have." - Detroit manager Jim Leyland

Named after his father's favorite baseball player, Clete Boyer, outfielder Clete Thomas was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round of the 2002 amateur draft but did not sign with the club. He went on to attend Auburn University, where he hit .297 with 41 runs scored and 11 stolen bases in 63 games as a freshman. The next year, he batted .329, scored 53 runs, and swiped 24 bases in 56 games, and as a junior, he hit .328 while scoring 66 runs, clubbing 9 home runs, and stealing 23 bases in 60 appearances.

After being selected by the Detroit Tigers in the sixth round of the 2005 amateur draft, Thomas began his pro career with the Oneonta Tigers, hitting .386 in 18 games with the club. He was then promoted to the West Michigan Whitecaps, for whom he hit .284 in 51 games. With the Lakeland Tigers the following summer, he posted a .257 average and stole 34 bases while making just 3 errors in the outfield. He spent the entire 2007 season with the Erie Sea Wolves, where he hit .280 with 97 runs scored and 30 doubles.

Thomas made the Tigers Opening Day roster in 2008 and made his big league debut in the Tigers opener against the Kansas City Royals on March 31st (the same day another Jacksonville-born rookie, Darren O'Day, made his big league debut). In that game, he also earned his first hit, an 11th inning double off Joakim Soria. He started the next three games in centerfield for the Tigers, notching 3 hits against the Chicago White Sox on April 4th and hitting .500 through his first four big league games. He was sent back down to AAA when Curtis Granderson was activated from the disabled list in late April but later returned to the Tigers and hit his first big league homer off Nick Blackburn of the Minnesota Twins on July 13th. Overall, he hit .284 in 40 games in the majors and missed out on a September callup due to a late season elbow injury that required surgery.