Ah, yes. Just as we all expected. A 2.142 OPS. A .571 batting average. Six RBIs in seven at-bats. Two home runs in just three games played.

Man, what a great start Pete Alons-

Oh.

What was that? We aren’t talking about Pete? 

Well then? Who??

That answer is none other than 32-year-old outfielder Trayce Thompson!

Klay Thompson’s younger brother is tearing up the baseball field this Spring. That was all apparent on Wednesday afternoon as the right-hander slotted a double and a home run in the Mets’ 3-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Mets signed Thompson to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training in December. Before that, Thompson bounced around the league after a successful (albeit brief) rookie season in 2015, eventually finding success with the Dodgers in 2022. However, he struggled within the Dodgers and White Sox organizations last year, and elected free agency in November.

In 2022, Thompson hit 13 home runs in only 205 at-bats for the Dodgers and slashed .268/.364/.537 in 74 games. He followed in 2023 with just a .677 OPS to start the season with the Dodgers and was traded to the White Sox in July.

Defensively, Thompson has shown he can play all three outfield spots solidly, with an overall +2 Fielding Runs Value over the last three seasons.

Now, the 32-year-old is trying to revitalize the success he found in L.A. with a different blue-colored team. As long as they stay healthy, Brandon Nimmo, Harrison Bader, and Starling Marte have most of the outfield reps locked up, and DJ Stewart and Tyrone Taylor are on the 40-man roster. That gives Thompson an uphill battle to making the Mets’ Opening Day roster. 

Thompson’s power and ability to play the entire outfield make him an intriguing bench player. His 2023 walk percentage and chase percentage rank above average. However, his whiffs and average exit velocity put him well below the top marks.

Fortunately, that exit velocity wasn’t a problem yesterday. Both his double and home run radared in at over 103 mph, with the home run eclipsing 105. 

If Thompson can return to his 2022 form, he’s a legitimate threat for a Mets team that could use another power-hitting outfielder on the roster.