Dodgers News: Andrew Friedman Did Not Expect Trayce Thompson to be Around This Long
The revolving door of the MLB only furthers the greatness of the longevity some players are fortunate to have. Players can get bounced around the minor leagues and may never see the biggest stage or while there they only end around the average length of MLB careers at 2.7 years (via The Princeton Review).
This was what the Dodgers seemed to expect from Trayce Thompson when trading for him in a deal that sent Matthew Moreno to the Padres to help ease the loss of Mookie Betts with a rib injury. Of course being the true professional Thompson is, he fought and clawed his way to remain on the roster as he has proven before with his time on the Dodgers in 2016-17.
Thompson has become a great role player for the Dodgers with 13 home runs and 36 RBI’s while batting a .271 on the season. The Dodgers seemed to have lucked out with Thompson with Dodgers President of Operations Andrew Friedman admitting that he never imagined Thompson being on the team for this long (quotes via AM570LASPORTS).
“I love Trayce. When we won the division last week, seeing how overcome with emotion he was was incredibly touching….But if you would have asked me at that time, I would not have thought that it was going to be a longterm solution. So the credit goes to him, and it couldn’t happen to a better guy. I love when good things happen to good people. He has elevated his game to a whole new level. And I think that comes some with confidence, and how much he loves being here.”
The Dodgers winning the World Series will be the cherry on top to what has been an improbable season for Thompson. With the wins and success the team has had, Thompson undoubtedly deserves his spot in the team’s upcoming postseason rotation.
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Thompson has earned a spot in the rooster be it in September or October. He’s been great on defense, at the plate and on the bases. A real ‘blue collar, lunchbox’ ball player. We’re lucky to have him!