“Even back then I told Dong-po that I wanted him back up there,” Inkster said. “But the pressure was pretty intense for a guy in his situation, so in the end I think it worked out fine.
The Month of May had seen Thum’s average plunge into the .230 before he righted the ship, and began to leverage himself back up. He’s currently sitting at .325/.383/.471. He’s swiped 65 bases, though he’s taken 90 attempts to do it, something the team would now like to see him adjust around. More important, perhaps, his glove at shortstop has remained steady, which speaks well for a guy going through trauma at the plate.
Gillstrom Race Tight
Added up, it puts Thum back into what promises to be a very entertaining voting process for the league’s Gillstrom trophy, an award that goes to the league’s best rookie. The core field consists of California’s outfielder David Simpson, Calgary’s first baseman Liann-wei Mao, and Vancouver’s Masaki Sato. It wouldn’t take many arguments to add in Calgary’s second entry in Werner McConnell, Jr. or San Fernando catcher Bin Okarafor. A third-tier argument could be made for Vancouver outfielder Jeffrey Smith or Yellow Springs center fielder Abdeljillil Sediki, though common wisdom probably has both of them far enough back to be considered long odds.
Of the top contenders, Simpson, Mao, and Sato are all thumpers whereas Thum is more multi-purpose guy who hits the gaps (as 36 doubles will note), an athletic master of all trades rather than a wielder of pure thunder.
“I think that question is a little premature,” Thum said when asked about his chances in the voting. “Don’t we still have a month to play?”
