SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Alek Thomas returned to Cactus League action Sunday in the D-backs' 4-4 tie vs. the Padres after spending the last couple of weeks with Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.
Thomas hit .267/.313/.467 for Team Mexico and had a monster game against Brazil where he went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs.
Thomas swung the bat well this spring before heading to the World Baseball Classic following some offseason adjustments to his mechanics at the plate.
Gone is the high leg kick that he's had since he was a kid, and in its place is a much smaller stride, which he hopes will help with his consistency at the plate. The early returns have been good.
"He's got a new approach that he's been working on, slowing down that lower half," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "It's been very successful for him. I think on a bigger stage and a more intense atmosphere, he's able to test run it, and it worked. We love the fundamental change, and we love the success that he's having. So, I know that getting onto that stage for any player, it's got to help you build confidence. And he enjoyed it. He said he loved his time there. He wished he could have done more for his team, but ... he said the atmosphere was as good as anything he can remember."
Mexico did not make it out of pool play, but Thomas said he enjoyed his experience. It's the second time he has played for Mexico in the WBC, and he learned some things as a result of the intensity of the games.
"I wish I could have taken a step back and not let the moment dictate my at-bat and try to stay within myself and calm down in those high-pressure moments,” Thomas said. “That kind of was different from the last WBC. It just felt different, as far as like the pressure of the moment, and I definitely had a lot of jitters for every single game. The Mexican fans were into it, and they were cheering for everything. They treated it like the World Series."
Thomas is usually good at calming the jitters, as he showed in the 2023 National League Championship Series, when his pinch-hit home run in Game 4 off Craig Kimbrel tied the game in the eighth inning. The Diamondbacks would go on to win that game and beat the Phillies in seven games.
While the results of his new mechanics have been good, Thomas is still working on feeling completely comfortable with them.
"It's still a grind," Thomas said. "I still have to continue to work on it in the cage, continue to work on my at-bats and being more disciplined and also realize that not everything is going to feel great all the time, especially with something new. Sometimes it's going to feel weird, sometimes it's going to feel different. I just have to trust it."
No hits for Pfaadt
Brandon Pfaadt was scheduled to throw four innings Sunday but wound up getting through five thanks to being efficient with his pitches, as he didn't allow a hit, and the only baserunner he allowed came via an error by shortstop Ildemaro Vargas.
Pfaadt will have one more start before the regular season begins.
"Once you get deeper into Spring Training, you feel like the season is coming right up, and outings right there make you feel good about it and let you know that you're ready,” Pfaadt said. “Everything just felt timed up. It's something that we've been focusing on quite a bit this offseason and Spring Training. Everything from the physical to the mental felt synced up with the breaking balls, and it seems like I'm in a great spot."
Game time change
With temperatures expected to be over 100 degrees in the Phoenix area, the Diamondbacks announced that they have changed the start of their game with the Brewers on Friday from 1:10 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. MST.
Tickets will automatically update in the MLB Ballpark app, so there is no exchange needed. The gates to Salt River Fields will open at 4:30 p.m. MST.