A roller coaster of a season between two teams saw Lane Thomas have the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
The name of the game for the Cleveland Guardians’ postseason was big moments. The moments where it felt like do or die. Where they needed something big to happen and certain players came up clutch. One of those players was Lane Thomas. A trade deadline acquisition, he had a very up-and-down season for the Guardians. However, he made his name known when it mattered most and contributed at bats that the team absolutely needed.
Thomas was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, but made his Major League debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 17, 2019. He was traded to the Washington Nationals on July 30, 2021 as the return for Jon Lester and had been a staple in the nation’s capital since.
On July 29, 2024, he made another move when the Guardians acquired him at the deadline for three minor league prospects. There were mixed reviews on this trade at the time as one of those prospects was one of the organization’s superstars - José Tena. For myself, I was very excited to see what the 6.3 career WAR player could bring to our team.
Going back to March with Washington, Thomas played the first three games of the season. He had one hit, one walk, and three RBIs to begin his season. Throughout the month of April, he improved slightly with a line of .200/.268/.280. While he wasn’t bringing the power numbers, he was consistently getting on base and striking out less than once per game.
He wasn’t able to finish out the month of April due to an MCL sprain and was placed on the 10-day Injured List. He began rehabbing with the Harrisburg Senators on May 21st and was back with the Nationals on May 27th.
He did well in the five games he was able to play in May, hitting .286/.348/.571. It looked as if the injury was no big deal. His success continued into June, the heat of the season, as he hit .276/.336/.524. His power was up and he was continuing to get on base frequently. He kept his strikeouts to less than one per game and brought 21 runs home over 27 games.
While July saw his slugging percentage decrease, he continued to slightly increase his batting average and on-base percentage for a line of .287/.398/.379. He had 25 hits across 23 games and was continuing to prove that he was a reliable option to get on base and bring runs home. His 11 stolen bases in July also proved extremely beneficial to his struggling team.
On July 29th, he was traded to Cleveland and it was as if the Snow Miser had turned his bat cold. His line drastically decreased to .148/.239/.198, he only had three RBIs, and had struck out 35 times in 28 games in August (and July 30th - his first game with the team). This was certainly not the same Lane Thomas that had been playing in Washington all year, was it?
September seemed to prove that it was, in fact, the same Lane Thomas. While he was no José Ramírez, his number slowly crept back up to .264/.295/.560 for the final month of the regular season. That slugging percentage coming back up was huge as it included seven home runs - seven more than his first month with the team.
That was when the true test came. The regular season was over and it was time for the lights to shine brighter than they ever had before. Thomas made his postseason debut in ALDS game one against the Detroit Tigers. With Cleveland up 2-0 in the first inning, things were looking good. However, insurance runs always make things better. Thomas knew that and decided he’d give the Guardians some. With one swing of the bat, he took Reese Olsen’s first pitch to him past the wall in left center field. He made it 5-0 good guys in a game Cleveland eventually won 7-0.
His bat once again went cold in the next three games, resulting in just three hits, no walks, and two strikeouts. He contributed one RBI in game four, the first run scored of the game. While the Guardians could not have taken home the one-run victory in that game without him, Thomas’ true clutch moment came in the game five finale.
It was a pitchers’ duel from the very beginning with eventual Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal and the Cleveland bullpen going strikeout-for-strikeout. It wasn’t until the fifth inning that the scoring finally broke open with a Detroit RBI single. The Guardians immediately answered in the bottom of the inning when Skubal hit José Ramírez with a pitch after loading the bases.
With one out and the bases still loaded, Thomas made his way to the plate. He knew exactly what he had to do and wasted no time in doing it. He took Skubal’s first pitch - a 97 mph sinker - to left center field with a symphony of cheers from Cleveland faithful as his soundtrack. The Guardians went up 5-1 with one swing of the bat and never looked back, eventually winning 7-3.
As the Guardians advanced to the ALCS, Thomas seemed to once again leave his bat behind. Playing in all five games of the series, he hit a measly .118/.375/.177. He had only two hits with no RBIs and struck out six times. He was, however, able to get on base a lot with seven walks in the first four games, but walks don’t really matter when the rest of your team can’t bring you home.
All in all, it was a roller coaster of a season for Thomas. From hitting like an All-Star in July to turning his bat off in August, he was able to contribute to the Guardians in the moments that mattered most. For that reason and because I think he can return to the player that he was in Washington, I hope that the Guardians make an effort to keep him this offseason. He could be a reliable, everyday option that can lead us back to another successful postseason.
