DENVER -- University of Texas left-handed hitter Jared Thomas chose becoming a better hitter over where he landed on the MLB Draft prospect rankings.

Thomas’ desire, his methods and the people who have been watching him all led to him being drafted in the second round, 42nd overall, by the Rockies.

• Rockies show they value versatility on Day 1 of Draft

“We were getting ready and reading a bunch of stuff, and I told my dad [that] I had a feeling it was going to be the Rockies,” Thomas said. “And I told one of my best friends, who was my roommate at the University of Texas right before the Draft started, that I had a feeling it was going to be the Rockies.”

Thomas -- who played first base at Texas, but can move to all three outfield positions -- saw some interesting connective factors between him and the Rockies.

Thomas said, “Since I was eight, nine years old I always had the ability to hit,” and one the players he imitated and was told he looked like was Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon.

As Thomas developed at Waxahachie (Texas) High School, he was followed by a Guardians scout, Garrick Chaffee -- who would soon join the Rockies as an area scouting supervisor and have detailed conversations.

In pre-Draft meetings, he said, “The Rockies were one of the teams that was most invested, and we had a great meeting.”

The meeting showed that the Rockies and Thomas were on the same page. He became a strong defensive first baseman because that’s what the Longhorns needed, but his future is to try all three outfield positions.

But there was another link who was outside the direct relationship between Thomas and current Rockies officials.

Thomas entered the Draft as the MLB.com No. 60 prospect, well below where he actually went. One reason for the ranking was Thomas intentionally looked to increase his power profile. His home runs increased from four in 2023 to 16 this past season. The change, however, led to some swing-and-miss -- and an increase in strikeouts, from 38 in 250 plate appearances last year to 60 in 291 plate appearances this year.

But Thomas’ changes were not only geared toward the future, but they were coached by the greatest shortstop in club history, Longhorns assistant coach Troy Tulowitzki.

“It really came down to certain counts, and it was something me and ‘Tulo’ worked on this past offseason -- being able to get your best swing off in a leverage count, whether that be 2-0 or 3-1,” Thomas said. “It was making sure I got everything into the ball that I could. That led to some swing-and-miss or some fouling balls straight back. I was looking to do more damage than my freshman year, for sure.

“There’s no doubt that it’s a better swing for pro ball, and will help me in the future.”

The future points to Colorado.

Day 2 Draft Notes
After much discussion, the Rockies chose University of South Carolina catcher Cole Messina, a leader and a big offensive performer down the stretch this season, with their third-round pick (No. 77 overall).

Longtime scouting and player development assistant Jerry Weinstein, who has taught catching at all levels in a lengthy career, was a key voice in the decision. With versatility the name of the game, selecting a catcher can be seen as a risk.

“He was the heartbeat of that ballclub at South Carolina offensively and defensively -- most importantly, he was at the top of our draft board,” senior director of scouting operations Marc Gustafson said. “We had Jerry rank all the catchers in the country, and Jerry had him at the top of his list.”

Fourth-rounder Blake Wright, a Clemson second baseman/third baseman, batted .250 with eight homers in 2023, but returned for a fourth year and slashed .340/.382/.652 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs in 60 games this season. He could begin his career higher on the Minor League ladder than the average Draft pick.

“To grab him where he did, he could fit right in at Fresno or perhaps higher, but that’s up to [player development director] Chris Forbes and his group,” Gustafson said.

Two key players at Single-A Fresno, righty pitcher Jack Mahoney and infielder Braylen Wimmer, were South Carolina players that the Rockies had looked at in previous Drafts but ended up selecting last year. This year, the Rockies ended up getting a pitcher they wanted to select last year, University of Texas’ Lebarron Johnson Jr., in the fifth round.

“He, ultimately, thought that he would like to go back to Texas, which we certainly respect, but we never lost sight of him,” Gustafson said. “And we were able to get him -- maybe a year later, but we got him.”