Sports

College Baseball Viewers Think They’ve Identified The ‘Barry Bonds Of Division III’

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A baseball sits on the clay.

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College baseball fans are always looking for the MLB projections of current players on their favorite teams. We see it time and time again when draft time rolls around as experts give player comps for soon-to-be pros.

We see it a bit less of this at the lower levels, but there’s one Division III player catching the attention of baseball viewers.

Jack Thomson, a senior infielder at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, is going viral. The Pioneers are members of the Northwest Conference, and they may just have the league’s player of the year in their left-handed slugger.

Lewis & Clark has gotten off to a strong start this season, winning 10 of their first 12 games. Thomson has easily been the team’s top offensive performer.

In 12 starts, he’s hitting .432 with 13 runs batted in. Eleven of his 16 hits this year have gone for extra base hits, including seven home runs.

That potent power has many of his foes scared to pitch to him. He’s been walked or hit 25 times thus far, posting a ridiculous .651 on-base percentage.

Just this past weekend, he was walked five times in a game (three intentional walks). The one time his opposition did try to pitch to him, he went yard.

Fans quickly compared him to former MLB slugger Barry Bonds.

Bonds was one of the most feared hitters of his time. He’s the league’s home run king, though some might not recognize him as so. He also holds the single season record with his 73 homers in 2001.

Bonds is the all-time leader in walks as many grew afraid to pitch to him. He led the MLB in bases on balls 12 times in his 22-year career. That led to his posting insane on-base percentages throughout the years, including an absurd .609 mark in 2004.

Now, Jack Thomson is getting that Bonds treatment as his walks and long balls continue to pile up. He’ll be a fun player to follow as the college baseball season continues.