Oakland Athletics prospect Casey Thomas, who was playing in extended spring training, unexpectedly died at 24 on Tuesday.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Casey Thomas, who recently passed away. pic.twitter.com/qnrjKpW5PQ
— Oakland A's 🌳🐘⚾️ (@Athletics) May 2, 2017
"We were devastated to hear of this tragedy within the A's family," A's executive vice president Billy Beane said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to Tom and his family on their loss. Casey was a wonderful young man and teammate and will be missed by all in the A's organization."
Thomas was drafted by the Dodgers out of Desert Vista High School (Phoenix) in the 41st round in 2011, but attended GateWay Community College instead of signing, finishing his college career at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The A's picked Thomas in the 34th round in 2016 and sent him to rookie ball, where he appeared in 37 games, mostly as a shortstop.
Thomas' father, Tom Thomas, is a longtime scout for the Athletics.
