Alek Thomas earns D-Backs’ Minor League Player of the Year award

RENO, Nev. – Reno Aces' outfielder Alek Thomas has been named the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Minor League Player of the Year on Friday.

The 21-year-old spent 72 games with Double-A Amarillo and 34 contests with Reno in 2021, combining to set career-highs in runs scored (86), hits (136), doubles (29), triples (12), home runs (18) and RBIs (59). Thomas also logged a .313/.394/.559 slash line in his 106 appearances this year.

During his 34-game stint with Reno, the No. 3-ranked prospect in D-Backs’ system, according to MLB.com, has put on a show. Thomas racked up 55 base knocks, 23 extra-base hits, 32 runs scored and 27 RBIs while slashing .369/.434/.658. Of his eight home runs in Triple-A, four have been leadoff home runs to start the game.

On two occasions this season, Thomas has strung together back-to-back four-hit games, becoming the only player in professional baseball to record a pair of consecutive four-hit games in the same year. The D-Backs’ prospect also joined Collin Cowgill (2011), Mike Freeman (2015), Zach Borenstein (2016), Ildemaro Vargas (2017) and Matt Lipka (2021) as the only players in franchise history to smack four base knocks in two straight games.

Thomas also became the sixth player in franchise history to hit a home run in four consecutive contests, matching Rusty Ryal (2009), Mike Jacobs (2013), Christian Walker (2018), Yasmany Tomas (2019) and Daulton Varsho (2021).

To go along with his Player of the Year honors, Thomas earned a spot on the MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Year following his stellar campaign.