PCL: Thorman adds pop to lineup

Even in hockey-crazed Canada, every once in awhile some kid moves off the beaten path, er, pond.

Like Scott Thorman. Growing up in Cambridge, Ontario, about 60 miles from Toronto, he loved baseball, not hockey. So his team was the Blue Jays, not the Maple Leafs.

“When I was young, that was their heyday,” he said. “They had contending teams every year. I was a huge baseball fan.”

Now he's a 27-year-old left fielder for the Omaha Royals, who return home tonight to start an eight-game homestand with the first of four against Round Rock.

Thorman, who played parts of two seasons with the Atlanta Braves, has emerged as Omaha's top power threat since signing with the Royals in May. Going into Thursday night's game at Iowa, Thorman had 16 homers and 41 RBIs in 58 games while hitting .294.

“You know every time he steps up to the plate, he's got a chance to hit one over the wall,” Omaha manager Mike Jirschele said. “He's definitely a guy who can make things happen when he's swinging well.”

Thorman also has a strong arm, though he may not throw the mid-90s fastball he had in high school.

“That was a long time ago,” he said. “I just try to throw guys out from the outfield now.”

Thorman grew up attending a handful of Blue Jay games each year while also following them on television. It helped that a grandmother lived in Dunedin, Fla., the spring training home of the Blue Jays. Several times Thorman spent vacation time in Dunedin during spring training.

“I'd get to soak in some baseball, mostly minor league games,” he said. “I'd just ride my bike over and soak it in all day. I didn't even have to watch games, I just wanted to be around it.

“After a long winter . . . that was the highlight of the year for me.”

Playing baseball at a highly competitive level in Canada isn't always easy, but Thorman found a way. He was one of a few Canadians to be selected in the first round of the draft: Atlanta took him 30th overall as a third baseman in 2000.

Modeling his game after his Blue Jay heroes helped.

“I always liked Kelly Gruber,” Thorman said. “I played third base, so I always liked third basemen. George Bell, Ed Sprague . . . pretty much every Blue Jay who ever came through there. It's pretty cool now when I run into some of those ex-Blue Jays who are coaches, just talking to them and telling them how much I enjoyed watching them.”

Another influence was former outfielder Rob Ducey, another Cambridge native.

“He was the first player from my city to make it to the majors, and he played for the Blue Jays, too, so that was special for all Canadians, really,” Thorman said. “Being a kid from Canada, it was important to see that it was possible to make it.”

Thorman worked his way to the big leagues with the Braves in 2006, hitting .234 with five homers in 55 games. He got a longer look in 2007, batting .216 with 11 homers in 120 games. But the Braves traded for Mark Teixeira that July. Thorman hasn't been back to the big leagues since.

After spending 2008 with Class AAA Richmond, he went to spring training this year with Milwaukee and was released after the Brewers claimed another first baseman, Joe Koshansky, on waivers. He joined Texas' Class AAA team in Oklahoma City, but the RedHawks could find little playing time for him, so he was released again in late April. He finally joined Omaha on May 21.

Besides bringing power, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound left-handed hitter has shown unusual versatility. He moved from third base to first early in his pro career, but he has played more and more left field in recent seasons. He hasn't played first base for Omaha since June 7.

“He hustles,” Jirschele said, “and his jumps are getting better.”

Typically players move to first base as they age and slow down. Thorman has done the opposite.

“I've got enough experience that I'm comfortable, but I'm still learning,” Thorman said. “I'm finding out that there are more opportunities for me in the outfield, combined with the fact that I can play first base. It's kind of like a second phase to my career.”

Another phase of his career that Thorman enjoys is playing in international competition for Canada. Among other events, he's played in both World Baseball Classics and the 2008 Olympics.

“It never gets old,” he said. “The major and minor league seasons are a marathon, and you need endurance all summer trying to keep everyone healthy. You play every day, and you could go into a funk for a week and then reel off 10 wins in a row.

“In a world competition, it's always a tournament, a very short format — a sprint. It's a playoff atmosphere, and you've got to leave everything out there and play for the win every single game. You're playing for pride and your country.”

Contact the writer:

444-1027, rob.white@owh.com

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