Clete Thomas draws on namesake for inspiration
Written by Nicholas Huenefeld | | letters@toledofreepress.comClete Thomas has been hooked on baseball since his dad introduced the game to him 23 years ago.
“My dad gave me a bat and I never put it down,” Thomas said.
The Mud Hens outfielder estimated that he started playing baseball when he was 2 years old.
“I’ve played as long as I could remember,” Thomas said. “I just remember always playing and always doing something.”
Growing up, Thomas played in the Little League World Series. In the one year his team made it, they went 3-1 in pool play, but didn’t make it to the finals.
Clete Thomas
Following Little League, Thomas won a state championship at Mosley High School. in Lynn Haven, Fla., in 2002. Out of high school, he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins, but decided to go to college.
“It wasn’t right. It wasn’t enough money for me to miss college,” Thomas said.
He hoped to attend Florida State University because he grew up an hour and a half from the campus, but he didn’t like the way the baseball program was run. So, he took two other visits to Auburn and Alabama. He chose Auburn.
“I liked it. I felt comfortable there — the city, the campus, everything,” Thomas said.
Thomas was named after Clete Boyer, a former infielder for the Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves from 1955 to 1971.
In fact, he shares more than a name with Boyer. He also shares his approach to the game.
In 1961, Boyer hit .224 for the Yankees. However, during a stretch from 1961 to 1963, Boyer led American League third baseman in putouts, assists and double plays.
That is the way modern day Clete describes his game.
“I don’t hang my head too much. I’m always going to go out there and battle no matter what goes on. If I’m not hitting, I’m going to get you with my defense. If my defense is going bad, I’m going to beat you hitting. I’m going to try to do the best I can.”
Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said Thomas is still developing as a hitter. The Detroit Tigers sent Thomas back to Triple-A on June 11.
“He shows you flashes of greatness sometimes where he could be an everyday player in the big leagues,” Parrish said.
According to Parrish, Thomas needs to shorten his stride foot. By definition, when Thomas gets the ball out in front of him, he overstrides sometimes. When he does that, the bat drags, and he doesn’t catch up.
“I seen him make an adjustment the other night in a game where he took one of those too big of a strides and the ball got deep on him, and then he turned around and shortened it up [his next at bat], so we’re hoping over time he figures it out. He’s got a chance.”
That being said, Thomas misses Detroit and the big leagues.
“[I miss] just being there, the experience of the big leagues. When you get sent down, it’s kind of a let down. But after last year, doing it a couple times, you just learn to come down and get better instead of taking it as an insult. You’ve got to take it as something you’ve got to do to get better.”
So, while Thomas works his way back to the big leagues, he will try to relax and not swing too big or hard. Parrish sees the potential in him.
“He’s got good speed and a good arm in the outfield. He can steal a bag for you, but he’s also capable of hitting 20 homers for you — hopefully in time,” Parrish said.
