PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas sprinted back toward the deepest part of Chase Field, leaped, crashed into the wall and came down with a catch of the year candidate on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Jordan Walker drove a Brandon Pfaadt cutter 411 feet to left-center field to lead off the fifth inning, a home run in 27 of 30 ballparks, according to Statcast.
Thomas had to fly to cover enough ground and make the grab, which he took off the top of the wall to rob Walker of at least a double.
Thomas held his glove up, stood and yelled before throwing the ball back in with a grin on his face.
Alek Thomas puts his body on the line to make an UNBELIEVABLE GRAB 😳 pic.twitter.com/hlIomPVK0Z
— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2025
Pfaadt rewarded his defense with a strikeout and groundout to end the inning and get back in the dugout ahead 5-0.
Thomas has grown quite a collection of highlight catches in center field since his debut in 2022.
Before the All-Star break, he slid on the warning track at Petco Park to rob San Diego’s Jackson Merrill in the ninth inning of a game the D-backs held on to for the win.
Alek Thomas tracks it down to make an UNBELIEVABLE catch 🤯 pic.twitter.com/nIhcQhJ8OD
— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2025
Thomas entered Friday with 2 outs above average (OAA), while he continues to improve defensively as the year has progressed.
Catch the rest of the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
