SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- For nearly every prospect working their way through a Minor League system, there comes a moment when they have to deal with what is likely their first taste of real struggles on a baseball field.

For third-ranked D-backs prospect Alek Thomas, that came last June and July, when the center fielder hit .247 and .234, respectively, for Double-A Amarillo.

"I think during that stretch during June and July, I really needed to figure out who I was," said Thomas, who is participating in the D-backs' early Minor League camp at Salt River Fields. "[Director of player development] Josh Barfield gave me a task and I tried to fulfill it as much as I can."

Barfield gave Thomas a directive that was handed out to the rest of the organization's hitters below the Triple-A level: On your first at-bat of the game, you have to take a strike before swinging.

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There was some grumbling from players about that, and Thomas admits he was not pleased about it.

"I was being hardheaded," Thomas said. "It took me a second to really get over that. Once I got over that and just let it go, I became a better hitter and I learned a few things from it. I think that’s what helped me have success at [Triple-A] Reno."

The D-backs wanted their hitters to get comfortable seeing pitches and working counts -- something that would benefit them should they reach the big leagues -- and it paid dividends for Thomas, who hit .370 in August for Amarillo before being promoted to Reno in September and hitting .380.

"What they wanted me to do was just see more pitches and learn how to hit other pitches," Thomas said. "And from a development standpoint, it definitely helped me out. From a statistical standpoint, during June and July, I was hurting a little bit, but it happens and that's why there's Minor Leagues, so we can develop as hitters."

Thomas was selected by the D-backs in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Mount Carmel High School in Chicago and quickly began to work his way up through the system.

The son of former longtime White Sox strength and conditioning director Allen Thomas, Alek had practically grown up in a Major League clubhouse, absorbing lessons from Hall of Famer Jim Thome, Adam Eaton, Todd Frazier and Juan Pierre, just to name a few.

Thomas is not a member of the 40-man roster yet, and while it may be a stretch for him to make Arizona's Opening Day roster this year, it certainly seems like he will be in the big leagues at some point in 2022.

"He's not far away," Barfield said. "I think whether he makes the team early on or he forces his way up there at some point during the season, he's not far off and I think he showed us that last year. Depending on how things sort out this spring, I think he'll show us when he's ready.

"He's continuing to refine his game and his swing, and he's at the point now where it's very small refinements, it's not a major overhaul. If you asked him, there are things as far as like controlling at-bats that he's gotten much better at, but he could still improve on. Recognizing and handling spin [breaking balls] and things like that, like there's still room for improvement. But he's going to be knocking down that door soon."