Behind the Scenes Q&A with Alek Thomas

Alek Thomas took time to answer multiple questions about the D-backs, their clubhouse, himself, and much more.

Arizona Diamondbacks Alek Thomas (5) smiles after scoring a run against the Colorado Rockies on / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY

Alek Thomas is one of the most important players for the Arizona Diamondbacks, The captain of the outfield defense, Thomas has saved many games with his phenomenal defense. Equally true is how many games he's hit an impact home run in a clutch situation. He's quickly developing into a great player that has the ability to hit, field, and run.

The D-backs have been hard-pressed to replace Thomas' defense and base-running since he departed with a hamstring injury in the fourth game of the season. Luckily, at the D-backs Watch Party Friday night, he spoke to fans and answered plenty of questions regarding his thoughts on the team, when he'll be back, his favorite ballparks, and plenty more.

The most pressing question was when will he be back. According to Thomas, he jogged around the bases Friday and took multiple at-bats. He is shooting to be back the last week of April but believes he'll definitely be back the first week of May.

He's been working on his swing and it's now in the critiquing phase after he spent all off-season and Spring Training working on it. It seemed to work early on as of his three hits this year, one was a double and the other was a home run.

Thomas grew up at Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox where his dad worked for the team as their strength and conditioning coach. Thomas formed bonds with many of the players from back then. When asked who the most famous person was to text him congratulations during the playoffs last year, he said it was none other than MLB Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, the great White Sox icon.

What players would Thomas look up to or that helped mentor him in the past? "Last year, it was Evan Longoria. Him being around for so long and then being so knowledgeable about the game definitely helped all of us with that aspect of the game. Right now, I would say [Lourdes] Gurriel has stepped into that role."

In 2020 and 2021, Thomas lived with Corbin Carroll and they spent plenty of time together. They formed a deep connection. "Me and Corbin lived pretty much with each other the entire 2020 and 2021 season and it was special. Get to know him, get to mess around with him, and just be kids. Definitely formed a bond with him and got to know him a little bit better and try to bring that fun side out of him as much as possible because he's so serious and so robotic, almost. He's awesome and the bonds that we built with all of our teammates, Jake included, and being able to go through the ranks with those guys... is pretty special to be up there with them and play baseball."

His all-time favorite baseball movie would be Major League, the all-time classic baseball comedy movie. As for if he could add any player to the D-backs roster, he first wanted to point out that he wasn't sure the current roster had a hole, but if he had to pick one, it would be Mike Trout or Bryce Harper. "Those guys are awesome. I've watched them my whole life so playing alongside those two guys would be pretty sweet."

In 2023, Thomas played in the World Baseball Classic for Team Mexico. He shared with the crowd that Team Mexico GM (and current D-backs broadcaster) Rodrigo Lopez told him that he would like Thomas to be on Team Mexico's roster for the next WBC that is set to take place in 2027. Thomas shared that he enjoyed playing for Team Mexico quite a bit and showcasing that side of his family from his great grandma and grandmother.

Thomas is excited for what is to come for the Diamondbacks. He's excited because "Not all of us have gone out there yet. Paul Sewald is about to return, Jordan Montgomery is pitching, I've only played three games, Eduardo's hurt, Perdomo's been out, there's a lot of things that push us back a little bit but a lot to really look forward to."

Thomas mentioned how exciting it is to hear Gabriel Moreno talk more often now because he's taking English classes and learning English. Plus, Moreno just got his driver's license and is planning to become an American citizen at some point in the future.

"He's a man of not too many words but he leads by example. It's awesome to have guys like that." Thomas said about Ketel Marte. He later added how "on point and flashy" Marte's game-day outfits are. Thomas included that he's a lot like Marte as a guy who doesn't speak much but tries to lead by example.

On who the funniest guy on the team is, Thomas said it's "probably Jake McCarthy. He's pretty funny. He's always got me rolling." It's because McCarthy's just being himself.

Of course, Thomas couldn't avoid talking about Geraldo Perdomo, saying "He's not annoying but he's borderline annoying...He's a great guy. I've been playing with him since I was 18 and that's probably why I say that he's annoying because I've been with him the entire time. He's my brother, he's a great guy, definitely cares about people in the clubhouse and he's just nonstop talking. He's the best. I definitely miss him out there. I see him all the time now that we're in rehab together."

As for who is most serious on the team, it's "probably Gallen or Corbin [Carroll]. I don't know if you guys can tell but what they look like on the field is how they are normally. They're very serious all the time. But it's very cool to see them smiling and having fun. That's when you know they're in a good spot."

Christian Walker would be the guy most likely to give a ride to Thomas to the grocery store because "he's a good dude all-around, he's always bringing in candy. I feel like he's bringing in candy just for me. He knows I like certain types of candy."

Thomas is really thankful for the time he spent with Tommy Pham on the D-backs aside from the jewelry mentoring, he said "Tommy was awesome for the time we were together. He was really just like a big brother or uncle. He definitely was really knowledgeable about the game and he's been around for a long time as well. Just being around him and getting to know the game a little bit better and know the situational part of the game. He definitely knew a lot more than us guys who only have been around a year or two. It was definitely awesome to be able to listen to him and see his side of the game."

He spoke about how often he was refreshing social media to see what moves the D-backs were making and how exciting it was for everyone with the moves that the team made during the off-season.

What about the Dodgers' spending spree? "I don't really care how much money you spend on your team like we're still going to go out there and play our baseball...We're still going to go out there and play with that mindset like we're going to win this game. We're going to stick to our game plan and do whatever we can to win the game."

He continued with "Opponents like the Dodgers, they've been beating up on us for however many years so it's definitely cool what we did in the playoffs to shut them up a little bit and send them home crying a little bit...It was super special...Now look what we made them do, spend two billion dollars on a super team."

As it turns out, he dislocated his pinkie right before the NLCS and was nervous that he was going to be forced to miss time. It was painful and forced him to do a lot of rehab work and take a lot of medication, especially for that memorable swing, but it all came out good and he was thankful for the support of his teammates, coaches, and the training staff especially who took good care of him and gave him great advice.

One final tidbit was that Alek Thomas prefers playing in Wrigley Field than Guaranteed Rate Field even though the White Sox field is like home. He said that his two favorite ballparks to play in aside from Chase Field would be Wrigley Field and PNC Park, the home of the Pirates.