From racetrack to the Redbirds
Thomas once thought of becoming drag racer
Lane Thomas plays a game that people call too slow, too boring and too long, but that doesn't bother the Memphis Redbirds outfielder. In fact, he finds it a little ironic because he grew up on the edge of the fast lane; The really, really fast lane.
As a child, the Knoxville, Tenn. native spent his time traveling around the country with his father, Mike Thomas, a professional drag racer in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). As one could imagine, it was an a-typical childhood that almost seems as if it were scripted for a movie.
But for Thomas, the racing lifestyle was just part of his routine growing up.
"Lane was in Chicago in 1998 after we won — He would have been three or four years old — and he was signing autographs on the pedestal with me," Mike Thomas said. "It was incredible."
From 3-months-old to the age of 6, the minor-leaguer attended almost every one of the 23 national races per year where his father competed. Once he started kindergarten, Thomas would stay back until the school year was over, then spend his summers traveling the country.
From Thursday to Sunday during race week, the St. Louis Cardinals prospect could be found holed-up inside of a trailer or out with the race team studying car parts. He didn't want to miss any of the action.
Once old enough, Thomas learned how to operate the racing simulator, sometimes competing against his father for practice. He was skilled at it, too, boasting an impressively-quick reaction time.
"He's been to hundreds of races and has seen what happens and how the cars operate," Mike Thomas said. "He's seen pretty much everything that has to do with racing."
For a long time, the racetrack was the coolest thing in the world, and then he discovered baseball. Thom-
as learned quickly that sport was much more his speed.
"I thought about (becoming a drag racer)," Lane Thomas said. "But you know what, I kind of figured out that was going to be a little bit too much adrenaline for me. Those guys are running some crazy times. They are going a quarter mile in like six seconds at 200something miles per hour. I think I'm going to stick to having something fly at me."
A pair of mitts and a baseball became a staple inside of his father's racing trailer on the road. The surface for playing catch, which was often pavement at racing events, didn't matter to Thomas. And neither did his throwing partner, who was anyone aspiring baseball player could get to take their attention off the racing hoopla long enough to toss the ball around.
"Now everybody from the racetrack always says, 'I knew that kid had a good arm,'" Mike Thomas said.
Once Thomas reached 13 years old, all the teenager wanted to do was play baseball. His father could see the writing on the wall, so as his drag racing career concluded, he decided to take the empty coaching spot on Thomas' travel baseball team.
It was a big adjustment from his racing days, which Mike Thomas admittedly says he still misses, but it was in the best interest of his son and the rest of the team. The change was worth it in the long run, because Thomas' team won the summer league championship in Tennessee two years in a row, and several players went on to earn college scholarships or be drafted.
"It was such an exciting thing to go through and watch them develop," Mike Thomas said. "I guess I got the competition thing from the racing part."
Thomas was committed to the University of Tennessee before electing to play professionally after being selected in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB FirstYear Player Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. This July, the Blue Jays traded the 23-year-old outfielder to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for some international pool money. In 19 games with the Redbirds, Thomas is hitting .259 with 14 RBIs and three home runs.