Cody Ryan Thomas (born October 8, 1994) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

for the Long Island Ducks of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. He was a multi-sport athlete in college, playing both

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

and

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

and in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture ...

Early life

Thomas attended Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas. In football, he passed for 3,057 yards with 32

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

as a junior and 4,154 yards with 51 touchdowns as a senior. Thomas was rated as a four-star recruit and was ranked among the top quarterbacks in his class. He committed to the

to play

. The

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

selected Thomas in the 30th round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

, but he did not sign professionally.

College career

Football

In 2013, Thomas took a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

in his first year with the

Oklahoma Sooners football The Oklahoma Sooners football team represents the University of Oklahoma (OU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The program began in 1895 and is one of the most succ ...

team. In 2014, as a redshirt freshman, Thomas played in four games before making his first collegiate start against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Oklahoma starting quarterback Trevor Knight was sidelined with a neck injury that he sustained the previous week. On November 15, Thomas led Oklahoma to a 42–30 victory on the road, defeating opposing quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Thomas went 10-for-20 passing for 133 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Thomas also ran for 103 yards on eight carries and one touchdown. The following week, Thomas made his second straight start. After a 90-minute weather delay before the game, Oklahoma running back

Samaje Perine Samaje Perine ( ; born September 16, 1995) is an American professional football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, and was selected by the Washingto ...

rushed for 427 yards on 34 rushes along with six touchdowns in a 44–7 victory over the

Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools List of college athletic programs in Kansas, in the state of Kansas that participate in ...

, breaking the NCAA FBS single-game rushing record. Thomas completed just three of 13 passes for 39 yards and added 21 yards on the ground in the poor conditions. On December 6, Thomas went 10-for-17 passing for 120 yards and one touchdown in a 35–38 overtime loss to the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National ...

. For the season, he completed 30-of-66 passes for 342 yards with two

and four

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s. In 2015, Thomas competed with

Baker Mayfield Baker Reagan Mayfield (born April 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners ...

and Trevor Knight for the starting job. Mayfield won the job, with Thomas appearing in three games as a backup. In January 2016, he left the football team to focus on his baseball career.

Statistics

Baseball

Thomas appeared in 14 games for the

Oklahoma Sooners baseball Oklahoma Sooners baseball is the NCAA Division I college baseball, collegiate baseball team of the University of Oklahoma (OU) based in Norman, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Baseball tradition is long and storied, with two national championships in 19 ...

team as freshman in 2014, recording one hit in 12 at-bats. He did not play in 2015 while focusing on football. He returned to baseball in 2016, appearing in 40 games. He hit .299/.354/.556 with six

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

and 27

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBI) over 117 at-bats.

Professional career

Los Angeles Dodgers

The

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

selected Thomas in the 13th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He signed with the Dodgers and made his professional debut with the Arizona League Dodgers. After seven games he was promoted to the Ogden Raptors. Thomas was awarded the

Joe Bauman Home Run Award The Joe Bauman Home Run Award, formerly known as the Round-Tripper-Award, is given to the Minor League Baseball player who hit the most regular season home runs that year. The award, first given in 2002, is named after Joe Bauman, who set a then ...

for finishing the 2016 season with 19 home runs among short-season A and rookie ball players. On August 3, 2017, Thomas set Great Lake Loons' single-game records with 3 homers, 7 RBIs, and 12 total bases. In the same game, Thomas and teammate Carlos Rincon both hit back to back home runs twice in the same inning, which only happened one other time in the history of professional baseball, by Bret Boone and Mike Cameron of the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

in 2002. With the

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

in 2018, Thomas was named to the post-season

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

All-Star team. In 127 games, he hit .285 with 19 homers and 87 RBI. In 2019, he began the season with the

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

and was selected to the mid-season

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

All-Star Game. Thomas did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Oakland Athletics

On February 12, 2021, the Dodgers traded Thomas to the

along with Adam Kolarek in exchange for

Sheldon Neuse Sheldon Lynn Neuse ( ; born December 10, 1994) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics, and in Nippon Profession ...

and Gus Varland. Thomas spent the year with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, slashing .289/.363/.665 with 18 home runs and 52 RBI in 59 games. On November 19, 2021, the Athletics' added Thomas to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Thomas underwent

achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

surgery in the offseason and missed the majority of the 2022 season in recovery. Thomas began a rehab assignment with the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Athletics before returning to Triple-A Las Vegas. In 4 games, he went 4-for-15 (.267) with a home run, two doubles, one walk, and seven strikeouts. On September 1, 2022, Thomas was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his

debut the same day against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

, where he recorded his first career hit. Thomas finished the season 8-for-30 (.267) in 10 games played. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

on December 16, following the signing of Trevor May. Thomas cleared waivers and was sent outright to Las Vegas on December 20. Thomas began the 2023 season with Las Vegas, where he

hit for the cycle Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

against the Reno Aces. In 74 games, he batted .308/.367/.576 with 17 home runs and 79 RBI. On July 7, 2023, Thomas was selected to the major league roster. On July 19, Thomas hit his first MLB home run, coming off Brayan Bello of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. In 19 games for Oakland, he batted .238/.304/.381 with 1 home run and 2 RBI. On August 30, Thomas was removed from the

and sent outright to Las Vegas. On October 2, Thomas elected free agency.

Orix Buffaloes

On January 9, 2024, Thomas signed a contract with the

. In 10 games for Orix, he went 0-for-18 with 7 strikeouts. On October 23, the Buffaloes announced that they would not bring Thomas back in 2025, making him a free agent.

Long Island Ducks

On January 21, 2025, Thomas signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He was released by the Rangers prior to the start of the season on March 26. On May 1, 2025, Thomas signed with the Long Island Ducks of the

Personal life

Thomas' brother-in-law is

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

shortstop and fellow Colleyville native Bobby Witt Jr. Thomas is married to Witt's older sister Shaley. Thomas' parents are Pete and Lisa Thomas.

References

External links

Oklahoma Sooners baseball bioOklahoma Sooners football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Cody 1994 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan American football quarterbacks Arizona Complex League Athletics players Arizona League Dodgers players Baseball players from Tarrant County, Texas Colleyville Heritage High School alumni Glendale Desert Dogs players Great Lakes Loons players Las Vegas Aviators players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball outfielders Oakland Athletics players Ogden Raptors players Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Oklahoma Sooners football players Orix Buffaloes players Sportspeople from Colleyville, Texas Players of American football from Texas Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Tulsa Drillers players