Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Kim Gooden for the Tribune

Albert Lea native Jake Thompson, an undrafted free agent in the Miami Marlins Minor League, had an outstanding 2023 season playing for the High-A Beloit Sky Carp and was recently awarded the coveted MVP award.

Thompson led the Midwest League in several categories, including OPS and slugging, finishing his season at Beloit, leading the team in home runs (16) and runs scored (57).

But that wasn’t the end of the 2023 season for Thompson.

On Sept. 1, he was called up to Double-A where he continued his performance for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, and helped them reach the playoffs.

He did that by hitting a double, which drove in two runs in his first Double-A at bat. Then his first home run in Double-A was a grand slam. And in the playoffs, he hit a two-run home run in his first at bat that helped the team to their first victory in the playoffs.

“I had a good year,” Thompson said. “I had a good year defensively, and hitting-wise I had really good numbers.”

Thompson had already been called up to Double-A when he got the call telling him he was receiving the High-A MVP award.

“I was really excited to hear that and to be recognized,” he said. I felt honored.”

“Throughout college I was always the underdog. I’d have good numbers and do good things but never necessarily got the recognition,” Thompson said. 

But then he went to Cape Cod and played for the Brewster Whitecaps in 2021 and was named to the Cape Cod All-Star Team, the Cape Cod All-League Team, and was named offensive MVP for the Brewster Whitecaps.

After finally receiving some recognition for his performance, he knew he wanted to continue doing enough to be recognized.

“So when I got to pro ball and got to be recognized like that it was pretty special for me, because I was playing with all these prospects, and it felt good to know that what I was doing was being noticed,” he said.

Besides putting up good numbers offensively, he was playing good defense as well.

“I worked hard in the offseason on my arm strength,” he said.

“I’d been an infielder my whole life and then played one year of outfield in college. I knew how to throw, but it [outfield] was new for me, so I really worked on getting the ball out and getting carry, and just working on my arm strength.”

As a result, he ended up throwing out eight guys this year and had eight outfield assists.

“I was really excited about that,” he said. “That was fun.”

Thompson is a goal setter, writing them on Post-It notes that he removes once he has achieved the goal.

One of his goals for the 2023 season was to hit 20 home runs. He ended the season with 19, including the one he hit in the post-season.

“I was close – I almost got it!” he said. “That was a good one.”

He didn’t put a number on his next goal but it was based on how hard he had worked on his arm strength in the offseason. 

“I had a goal to make my arm noticed by other teams when I played them,” he explained. “I felt like I was getting the balls and they weren’t necessarily taking the extra base every time, and I was able to throw some guys out too. I thought I achieved that goal.”

The third goal was to get to Double-A.

“I made it!” Thompson said with a smile.

So what’s next on his list?

“Right now, I have my offseason goals and I’ll focus on those for the next couple months,” he said.

Once the regular season gets closer, he’ll work on his goals for that.

Thompson is hopeful that his success this season and the MVP award will help him when they assign teams next spring, but until then he will spend the offseason working on the things he knows he needs to work on.

And he doesn’t mind a bit because baseball has always been his passion.

In fact, he was about 8 years old when he decided he wanted to pursue a career in baseball.

“There are pictures of me from almost every year of my life with a baseball bat or football in my hands,” he said. “I love sports and I love to compete. I grew up playing football, basketball and baseball, but baseball has always been my favorite.

“I love it! Getting to play ball every day is my dream. It doesn’t get much better than waking up, and I get to go to the field.”

He admits that some days it’s a little grind, but he still loves it.

“I think a big thing to making it is to stay mentally strong, to stay consistent and to keep going,” Thompson said.

“A former coach told me ‘You can’t worry about everything else; you just have to play ball the way you play ball and good things will happen,’ he said.

“I’ve been blessed with the opportunities they gave me and I just need to look for the next opportunity and do what I can to be a valuable person in the organization.”

And when a tough loss or poor at bat happens, Thompson said he takes a shower and washes it off.

“That’s my reset,” he explained.

“When I was in 10-year-old ball my dad was my coach, and our thing was to ‘flush it’ if we made an error or something. Get it out of your body and get ready for the next play.

“That’s something that I learned early that’s helping me now.”

And what about the future?

For now, he’s focused on his Plan A, which is to play ball and get to the highest level.

“I want to be the best player in the world – that’s my goal. I feel like if I have a Plan B then I’m not really giving everything to Plan A. I’ll figure out Plan B once I achieve Plan A,” he said.