Former Gator Sterlin Thompson just checked off a huge MLB milestone twice

A lot of the focus for Florida over the past couple of years, in terms of players making it to the MLB, has been centered around Wyatt Langford and Jac Caglianone. The duo both did speed runs through the minor leagues and have entrenched themselves as big league players. Pete Alonso has also gotten recent attention with his big move from the New York Mets to the Baltimore Orioles over the offseason.

But players like Sterlin Thompson shouldn’t be forgotten either and now that he is getting his shot in The Show, he did a career milestone on Wednesday night that was so nice he had to do it twice.

Sterlin Thompson hits his first two career MLB home runs

Playing for the Colorado Rockies, Thompson was called up on May 29 and had appeared in 23 games prior to Wednesday with 12 hits. But he had yet to hit a home run, even with the elevation of the Rockies.

That changed on Wednesday in the 3rd inning at Wrigley Field when he took a 1-0 pitch to the opposite field. Whether or not the fan in the stands was aware that it was the first career home run for Thompson or just a Cubs fan being a Cubs fan, the fan threw the ball back onto the field to enable Thompson to keep the ball as a memento.

But Thompson wasn’t done, as he essentially had to be the entire offense for the Rockies on Wednesday. Down 8-1 in the 5th inning, Thompson took a 3-1 pitch to right field for a 406-foot home run.

Colorado tried to rally but lost 8-6 to the Cubs.

Thompson spent two seasons on the field with Florida in 2021 and 2022. He had a solid enough 2021 campaign, batting .301, but his other power numbers lagged behind.

That took an uptick in 2022 when he not only averaged .354 at the plate, but he also had 16 doubles and 11 home runs. He also upped his walks and had an on-base percentage of .443. In the Gainesville Regional that year, where Florida ultimately fell to Oklahoma, Thompson had 11 hits across Florida’s five games.

Thompson would go on to be drafted in the first round with the 31st overall pick by Colorado in the 2022 MLB Draft. At the time, he was the highest drafted outfielder in Florida history.

Thompson didn’t quite speed run through the minors like Langford or Caglianone, but he made solid progress and made it to The Show in under four years after getting drafted. He made stops with the Fresno Grizzlies, Spokane Indians, Hartford Yard Goats, and Albuquerque Isotopes before debuting with Colorado.

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