Thompson looks to inspire the next generation of baseball players

Trayce Thompson (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Ron Gutterman

Trayce Thompson has frequently credited former Dodgers Ken Landreaux, Matt Kemp, Juan Pierre, as well as Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. when discussing his inspirations as a young MLB hopeful.

And now that he’s in the prime of his own career, he’s hoping to be an inspiration to those watching the game today.

“To be a representation of African Americans in baseball and the Dodgers, it’s something that’s really important to me,” Thompson said Wednesday.

Thompson participated in the latest stop on the 2023 Dodgers Love LA Community Tour, presented by Bank of America at the Dodgers Dreamfield at Darby Park in Inglewood. The Dodgers and Dodgers Training Academy partnered with the Los Angeles Unified School District to hold a baseball clinic and help raise awareness for physical health and well-being, specifically for Black middle school students, on the beginning day of Black History Month. Dodgers Alumni Landreaux and Dennis Powell also worked with kids at the clinic.

Ken Landreaux and Thompson. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

The event gave Thompson a chance to reminisce on his own baseball upbringing, specifically citing his time at the Compton MLB Urban Youth Academy when he was 16.

“It means the world to me,” Thompson said. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to give back to (the academy) and do whatever I could.”

The Inglewood clinic ran throughout Wednesday morning and included activities such as batting practice, pitching and fielding, and was led by the Dodgers Training Academy.

Thompson, a breakout performer for the 2022 Dodgers, participated in a Q&A with the students, answering questions ranging from his favorite pre-game food — peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — to his inspirations in the world of baseball.

“It starts with being a voice in the community and doing things in the community,” Thompson said. “Letting kids know they can accomplish it. They put in the work and they believe, so for me, it was important to come out here today.”

Thompson also briefly discussed the coming season. The outfielder, who the Dodgers acquired for cash considerations from Detroit on June 20 last season, ended up starting 54 games for the Dodgers. He batted .268/.364/.537/.901 with 13 home runs for the Dodgers. He now is expected to go into Spring Training competing to be one of the Dodgers’ primary outfielders in 2023.

“I’ve always been motivated. If anything I just have a lot more of an opportunity from the start,” Thompson said. “I’ve always had to scratch and claw in Spring Training — not that I won’t this year, but I think there’s just a little more mental stability. I know I’m going to be on a team. I’ve never really had that in my career. As far as the motivation stuff, it’s always been the same. I feel like I’ve always unfortunately had this chip on my shoulders. But I enjoy it. I’m just looking forward to getting going.”