Ny’Zaiah Thompson went Beast Mode on the paths Friday night with four stolen bases at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park. He comes by it honestly as former Seattle Seahawks running-back Marshawn Lynch is a close family friend whom he considers an uncle.
Thompson moved into the West Coast League lead with 13 stolen bags on the season but his fleetness wasn’t enough to save the HarbourCats (13-11) from a 5-3 loss to the Port Angeles Lefties (5-16).
The Island is cross-border Seahawks territory when it comes to NFL support, and Thompson quipped before the game: “So many people here ask me about him when they find out the connection.”
Thompson is from Oakland, California, and right now cheers for the Baltimore Ravens because of cousin and Ravens quarterback Josh Johnson, who backs up Lamar Jackson.
There is no shortage of sports experience to fall back on for Thompson, but he displays no sense of cockiness or entitlement, and is soft-spoken and respectful and is the kind of gritty, committed player who his high school coach Stephen Gatehouse told FieldLevel.com “will have a dirty uniform after the last out.” That’s also because of his background. Asked if Lynch has given him any advice about making it in sports, Thompson told the Times Colonist: “He mostly just talks to me about life and focuses on character. He knows baseball is a sport in which there can be hard times, and he said always to reach out to family when that happens. You can’t do it alone.”
Thompson, a five-foot-11 redshirt freshman shortstop and centre-fielder last season at NCAA Div. 1 Cal State-Fullerton who is looking forward to his sophomore season, has made 24 appearances for the HarbourCats with a .275 batting average with 14 RBIs, 23 runs scored, three doubles, a homer and his blazing stolen bases total.
There were 37 WCL alumni on MLB opening-day rosters this year, including AL all-star Adley Rutschman, 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber and two-time AL Gold Glove Award winner Steve Kwan. A total of 62 WCL alumni appeared in MLB games last season. If that doesn’t motivate current WCL players, nothing will.
Thompson is no different: “The goal is definitely to be in MLB. I’m learning a lot this season in the WCL. [Former MLB player and ’Cats head coach Todd Haney] lets us play freely and be athletes out there. He is a player’s coach and connects with us. He talks to us like human beings. He has been through it and understands if you go zero-for-whatever at the plate during a stretch.”
Thompson and the HarbourCats are in Nanaimo tonight to continue the WCL Island rivalry against the NightOwls (9-12) at Serauxmen Stadium before meeting the ’Owls on Sunday night at Royal Athletic Park with the return trip up-Island on Monday for the Canada Day game at Serauxmen Stadium.
