Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps: Bubba Thompson

The outfielder made his Rangers debut in 2022 and immediately blazed a trail on the basepaths at Globe Life Field.

InsidetheRangers.com will review each of the players on the Texas Rangers 40-man roster at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

OF Bubba Thompson

Statistics for 2022: Thompson batted .265/.302/.312/.614 in 55 games (45-for-170). He scored 18 runs and had 53 total bases. He had five doubles, one home run and nine RBI. He walked seven times and struck out 56 times. He stole 18 bases and was caught stealing three times. He played 35 games in left field, 10 games in right field and nine games in center field and was charged with just one error, which came while playing left field.

Season Transactions: Thompson started the season with Triple-A Round Rock. The Rangers called him up to make his Major League debut on Aug. 4.

Season Summary: Thompson got his call-up in August on the same day that the Rangers called up pitcher Cole Ragans. In fact, the two first-round picks made their MLB debut together. From a rookie debut standpoint, Thompson had a solid stretch, perhaps more solid than Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith. Hitting better than .250 at the MLB level as a rookie is nothing to turn up your nose at. The Rangers utilized his speed as a weapon on the basepaths and one could see him stealing 40-50 bases in a full season. His provided quality defense and the speed translates no matter which position he’s fielding.

Contract Status: Thompson is still under team control.

What’s next: Thompson will be part of a group of players that will be vying for the starting left field spot in 2023. He’ll have the inside track, but Smith and other players in the organization will be his competition. The Rangers are looking for a middle-of-the-order bat, and one can’t rule out Thompson will have veteran competition, too. For now, he’s penciled in as the starting left fielder in 2023.

2022 Texas Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps:

Ezequiel Duran | A.J. Alexy | Josh Smith | Tyson Miller | Corey Seager | Joe Barlow | Leody Taveras | Brad Miller | Drew Strotman | Josh Jung | Jon Gray | Taylor Hearn | Mitch Garver | Kevin Plawecki | Mark Mathias | John King | Charlie Culberson | Adolis García | Andy Ibáñez | Cole Ragans | Kole Calhoun | Brett Martin | Jose Leclerc | Marcus Semien | Matt Moore | Glenn Otto | Eli White | Jesus Tinoco | Sam Huff | Ricky Vanasco | Jonah Heim | Meibrys Viloria | Jonathan Hernandez |

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