Matt Thaiss

Thaiss has yet to get a real shot at big-league success despite a series of solid minor-league seasons and the ability to work behind the plate as well as at the corner-infield spots. He has good enough power to consistently hit 20-plus homers in the majors and has always been willing to take a walk, though holes in his swing have resulted in a 30.6% strikeout rate through 278 career big-league plate appearances. In his initial three stints with the Angels, Thaiss worked exclusively in the infield, but he got a look at catcher last season, logging 11 starts at the position. With Max Stassi coming off a down year and Kurt Suzuki retiring, 2023 could have presented a prime opportunity for Thaiss to audition for a more prominent role, but the emergence of rookie Logan O'Hoppe presents a substantial roadblock to that possibility. Stassi and O'Hoppe figure to work as the team's top two options behind the plate, and the offseason addition of Gio Urshela further impedes Thaiss's path to playing time in the infield. If he remains on the roster, he'll likely have a hard time finding at-bats as no better than a third option at any position.

Thaiss was a late arrival to summer camp and later told reporters the delay was due to a positive COVID test in June. While Thaiss said he was asymptomatic throughout the subsequent quarantine period, it took several weeks for him to get the requisite two negative tests in 24 hours. Thaiss was on the expanded Opening Day roster regardless, but he hardly played and was optioned Aug. 6. He was brought back a month later and ran into a homer shortly thereafter, but then was hardly heard from again the rest of the year. Draw a line through his 2020 stat line as it means nothing, but plenty of holes in his swing were exposed in his 2019 sample (164 PA). Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton need to DH, Anthony Rendon was brought in last winter and Jared Walsh has leapfrogged Thaiss at the other corner-infield spot, at least for now. Thaiss was a first-round pick in 2016 and will be given more chances to succeed.

Thaiss made his major-league debut in July and saw a couple stretches of semi-consistent playing time in the second half, but overall he struggled with a .211/.293/.422 slash line in 53 games. He enjoyed a much more productive season at Triple-A with an .867 OPS, 14 home runs and a 59:64 BB:K. Strikeouts haven't been a significant problem throughout his minor-league career, so there should be room for improvement in the 31.7 K% he posted during his first taste of the big leagues. Thaiss can play both corner infield spots and had a .211 ISO and 10.8 BB% last season, but with Albert Pujols still owed big money and Tommy La Stella and David Fletcher both coming off quality seasons, he may be hard-pressed to find significant major-league opportunities in 2020.

Thaiss reached Triple-A for the first time last season, but his .277/.328/.457 line (good for a 102 wRC+) in 85 games was underwhelming for a first-base prospect. If he were still a catcher like he was in college, those would be promising numbers, but he's played nowhere but first in his professional career. He could possibly provide competent enough performances in a pinch for the Angels this season, but with Shohei Ohtani, Albert Pujols and Justin Bour already on the roster, it's hard to see Thaiss getting much of a look. Hope for improvement stems mostly from his patience in the batter's box. He walked an impressive 16.7% of the time in a 49-game sample at Double-A in 2017, and while that number cratered with the jump to Triple-A, he's had near-double-digit marks at every other full-season stop.

Thaiss is a catcher turned first baseman who turns 23 in May and has hit 15 home runs in 200 pro games. That wouldn't be an encouraging sign if he were a third baseman or corner outfielder, but as a first baseman or designated hitter, the bar is even higher. He walked at a 16.7 percent clip at Double-A last year, which is awesome, but he also posted a .096 ISO at that stop. There is no denying that he projects to get on base at a pretty solid clip, but that might be his only above-average offensive skill. Scouts have put 60s on his hit tool in the past, but his production in full-season ball has not matched that outlook. He is also not a defensive asset, so his glove won't be able to buy his bat developmental time. If he overhauled his swing with an emphasis on lofting the ball more, he could potentially tap into 20-homer power. Even in that optimistic scenario, he would struggle to ever finish as a top-15 fantasy first baseman.

Thaiss was an offensive-minded catcher at Virginia and the Angels thought enough of his bat that they drafted him with the 16th overall pick and immediately transitioned him to first base. Their evaluation appears to have been accurate, as he quickly earned a promotion from the Pioneer League to the Midwest League, posting a 129 wRC+ and 28:22 K:BB in 226 plate appearances against Low-A pitching. Thaiss will not offer light tower power, but he has enough pop to profile as a 25-homer threat in his prime years. A plus hitter who makes excellent contact and showed more of a willingness to work the count after his promotion, Thaiss could be a .300 hitter who walks at a 10 percent clip. That hit tool will be his money maker. If it reaches its plus projection, the game power will play to plus. If his hit tool falls short, he probably won't do enough with the bat to profile as a regular at first base.