Former McGill-Toolen standouts converging on Dallas

Dallas Cowboys vast receiver Jalen Tolbert knew Bubba Thompson was headed for his Main League debut earlier than his former McGill-Toolen teammate did.

“His agent, Matt Paul, referred to as me yesterday after follow and let me know he was going to get referred to as up,” Tolbert mentioned after working at coaching camp on Thursday, “and so I knew earlier than he even did, so I used to be simply excited holding within the phrase.

“As quickly as he came upon, he referred to as me. We talked on the telephone, and first time I’m again in Texas, I’m going to go verify him out and see what he’s speaking about.”

Regardless that Thompson made his debut on Thursday evening for the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Area in Arlington, Texas, Tolbert couldn’t attend as a result of the Cowboys maintain their coaching camp in Oxnard, California.

In his first big-league recreation, Thompson performed heart area for the Rangers and went 1-for-3, placing down a bunt single within the seventh inning of Texas’ 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

“It ain’t actually hit me but,” Thompson mentioned after the sport. “Simply all of the exhausting work, and simply being round these guys has been a blessing. To be on the sector with all these guys, it ain’t actually hit me but, however I’m certain it would.”

On his bunt, Thompson went from the plate to first in 3.62 seconds, the fifth-fastest time recorded within the Main Leagues this season.

The Cowboys put the previous Cell prep standouts on a collision course within the Dallas Metroplex once they selected Tolbert from South Alabama within the third spherical of the 2022 NFL Draft with Thompson one step away from the Rangers at their Triple-A affiliate, the Spherical Rock Specific.

In 80 video games for Spherical Rock within the Pacific Coast League this season, Thompson hit .304 with 77 runs, 13 dwelling runs, 48 RBIs and 49 stolen bases to earn his call-up.

“That’s my finest buddy,” Tolbert mentioned, “so simply seeing him obtain his objectives and me chasing my objectives and we’re truly going by it collectively is superior, and we get to push one another in numerous sports activities, so it’s an incredible expertise. …

“We discuss day by day. He checks on me: How was follow? I verify on him: How’d you do? Two-for-three or no matter. We simply discuss day by day and verify in on one another.”

At McGill-Toolen, Thompson was a first-team All-State choice in soccer in 2016 and baseball in 2016 and 2017.

As a senior with the Yellow Jackets soccer workforce, Thompson handed for two,894 yards and 37 touchdowns in a 13-1 season, which ended with a loss to Hoover within the AHSAA Class 7A championship recreation for the second straight 12 months.

Tolbert had 37 receptions for 696 yards and 9 touchdowns for McGill-Toolen in 2016. Tolbert additionally performed baseball for the Yellow Jackets.

Thompson gained the ASWA Class 7A Baseball Participant of the Yr Award in 2017 when he had a .429 batting common, .857 slugging share, 52 runs, 11 dwelling runs and 18 stolen bases.

Three days after his nineteenth birthday, Thompson joined the Rangers’ group because the twenty sixth choice within the 2017 draft.

Thompson was a part of an MLB rarity on Thursday evening. With Thompson and pitcher Cole Ragans in its lineup, Texas turned the primary workforce since April 8, 1986, to have two first-round draft picks make their big-league debuts in the identical recreation. It hadn’t occurred since Will Clark and Robby Thompson did so for the San Francisco Giants. Ragans had been a first-round choice in 2016.

Mark Inabinett is a sports activities reporter for Alabama Media Group. Observe him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.