Thaiss' big night at dish propels BayBears

Matt Thaiss and his bat were the talk of the 2016 Draft, coming out of his junior season at the University of Virginia with a .345/.473/.578 slash line. He's raced through four levels of the Angels organization, just over a year after he was selected 16th overall.
On Tuesday, the Angels' ninth-ranked prospect had a career night that came up just short of historic.

Thaiss went 4-for-5 with a triple, two doubles and three runs scored, leading Double-A Mobile to an 8-4 victory over Mississippi at Hank Aaron Stadium. Needing a homer to complete the cycle, he popped to second base in his final at-bat.
Thaiss said he didn't have history on his mind and wasn't swinging for the fences when he came to bat in the seventh inning.
"I was just staying with the same approach, as corny as it sounds, and was trying to get a good at-bat and try to get a hit," he explained. "[Mississippi reliever] Adam McCreery has a great arm with a lot of movement on his ball and he just got me that time."

The BayBears did all of their scoring in the first, second and fourth innings -- and Thaiss was in the middle of all three. He doubled to left field with one out in the opening frame and came home with Mobile's first run of the night on an error by first baseman Tyler Marlette. In the second, the 22-year-old first baseman hit a leadoff triple to center field and scored on Michael Barash's forceout. 
Thaiss followed that with a one-out double in the fourth and was the first of five consecutive BayBears to reach as they scored three times to build an 8-1 cushion. He singled in the sixth to complete his third career four-hit game and first since going 4-for-4 for Class A Advanced Inland Empire last July 4.
Gameday box score
"It really wasn't a whole lot," said Thaiss, who was 3-for-15 in his previous four games. "I made a couple of good swings on a couple good pitches and things just fell into place for me. But this gives you confidence and makes up for nights where you aren't as great out there."
The real secret may lie in Thaiss' solid foundation. The New Jersey native said he hasn't been asked to make many changes to his swing or his approach at the plate in about five years, creating a comfort level.
What has changed is his position as he continues to make the transition to first base after a successful college career behind the plate. He joins other highly touted Angels prospects, including Jahmai Jones [No. 4] and Taylor Ward [No. 14], who also have changed positions in hopes of hastening their climb to the Major Leagues.

Thaiss said he dedicated much of his offseason toward his development in the infield.
"It's really been a lot of fun. I started this season with our fielding coach, who was the same guy I worked with at [Rookie-level] Orem, and I've come a long way since then," he said. "I just see it as a new challenge to go play first for us. It's nothing I've ever done for an extended period of time, and I still have to work and work at it."
Ward was 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, two runs scored and an RBI as he raised his average to .400, which ranks third in the Southern League. Jose Rojas drove in three runs in support of Angels No. 12 prospect Jose Suarez (1-0), who gave up a run on seven hits over five innings for his first Double-A win.
Braves No. 8 prospectAustin Riley hit his fourth homer for Mississippi.