the lineup card: vol 1
Martavius Thomas stepped toward the dugout, clutching a blue Powerade in his left hand and a bag of Skittles in his right. He set them down and grabbed his glove to warm up before his Cardinals took the field in the small town of Camden, Arkansas. Thomas challenged himself to make at least five throws from one end of the fence to the deepest part of the outfield, reaching his teammate through the air on a line. Once that was out of the way, he jogged over to the crowd and found his mother so he could give her a kiss for good luck.
The 17-year-old high school star has repeated this exact routine in every game he has played since fourth grade. Well, except for one time.
“She’s missed one game,” Thomas recalled warmly over the phone. “I was in Alabama and she FaceTimed me right before my event and blew me a kiss. She’s pretty persistent. She knows about the ritual.”
Family has kept Thomas grounded throughout his entire life. As a kid growing up in Camden, it can be easy to get in trouble if you do not have the resources to make it out. He credits his parents for keeping him motivated, faithful and focused. If he is not in the batting cages or football field, he spends whatever downtime he has surrounded by his family and friends.
Around seventh grade, Thomas made a diving catch that went viral. People began recognizing him everywhere he traveled. Kids would ask him to take pictures and sign autographs for them. More eyes were on him than ever before, but he did not mind. In fact, he lives for it.
“I’m just as excited to meet them as they are excited to meet me,” Thomas said. “I love to see the kids’ faces. I love to see people in general smiling around me.”
Thomas was already being treated like a big leaguer even though he was still in middle school at the time. Luckily, he had a big league influence there to guide him through it. His cousin, Jonathan Davis, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. A lightning-fast outfielder just like Thomas, Davis climbed through the ranks of the minors before making his MLB debut in 2018. In the past couple of years, Davis has played for the Yankees and Brewers. Currently, he is a member of the Tigers organization.
Despite their busy schedules, the two cousins make time to talk over the phone every week. Davis teaches Thomas what the next level is going to present to him and what it is going to require of him, both in terms of how to train and what to put into his body. They also frequently discuss the Bible as they try to encourage each other and remind each other of their purpose. Davis grew up around the church and his father is a pastor.
Davis remembers training Thomas when he was a little kid and watching him play against older age groups. “He is a very confident dude,” Davis emphasized, stressing that he had what Davis called a winning attitude. While Davis recognizes that his cousin will have to overcome his own obstacles throughout his journey, it is important to him to help make his path to success easier. “It’s good to have someone to bounce things off of. This game of baseball, like life, is challenging and it’s not something you want to go at alone. He has great parents and a family behind him and I’m just going to add to what’s already established at his home.”
Meet PrimeTime
Thomas’ confidence sticks out right from the jump. Not in an off-putting or arrogant manner – just a genuine belief in his ability to overcome any challenge. It is not difficult to understand why he feels that way. From an early age, Thomas has excelled both on the baseball and football fields.
The last true two-sport athlete to star in both MLB and the NFL was Deion Sanders. People have been telling Thomas from an early age that he acts like Deion. As a second-grader, Thomas recalled scoring five touchdowns and catching two interceptions in one game. The very next weekend, he hit a couple of home runs in a tournament. “Man, you’re just like PrimeTime,” people told him, and ever since then, the nickname “PrimeTime” has stuck.
Thomas’ success in both sports never dissipated. As the starting quarterback for his varsity football team, Thomas passed for 2,223 yards and rushed for 675, totaling 35 touchdowns during his senior campaign. His team fell one game shy of the state championship, but he did manage to break multiple school records before hanging up his shoulder pads for good. Entering his final high school baseball season, Thomas already owns Camden Fairview’s batting average record and is the only player in school history to homer from both sides of the plate. Few know that he can throw with both arms too. The speedy switch-hitter posted a .450 batting average with eight doubles, three triples and three home runs in 20 games last year.
His stat lines in both sports attracted plenty of attention from colleges. Although he enjoyed the college football recruiting process and the thought of moving forward as a two-sport athlete does still cross his mind, Thomas is currently focused on his baseball career. His recruitment remains open and he expects to sign with one of three universities by the end of the month – Arkansas, Memphis or Grambling State. The senior outfielder plans to announce the decision on social media.
Meet Martavius
Off the field, Thomas strives to be active in both his school and community.
“I’m a big math guy,” Thomas said. When ‘X’s,’ ‘O’s’ and other variables were introduced, he began keying in on the subject. “If something is gonna challenge me to where there’s a great chance that I can’t do it, I wanna do it because now I can prove to myself that I can do it.”
Thomas’ math skills even translate to the baseball field. He is a big fan of statistics and often calculates his own batting average in his head during games. When struggling at the plate, he fights off the urge to try and overcompensate for his previous at-bats, reminding himself to simply have fun.
Thomas has always felt connected to the people of Camden. He feels an added responsibility to show his face at least once a week, setting an example to the local kids who need a role model. In an episode of the JKR Podcast last October, Thomas spoke about a program he helped create with his principal called “Gentlemen’s Club,” where he helps mentor younger students, teaching them how to dress properly, how to shake a man’s hand, and any other advice that can help them succeed as adults. It is one of many efforts to help change the narrative in his hometown.
He feels it is the least he can do after being surrounded by so much tragedy. Thomas said that his senior class alone has lost six students to shootings, car wrecks and drownings. One of which was his best friend, Dekari Wyatt, who died in a car accident in 2020. Thomas described him as a freak athlete who could run as fast as anybody and jump higher than anyone. Playing sports was their thing. They wore jersey numbers one and two and would take turns playing quarterback and running back in Pop Warner.
“Two peas in a pod,” Thomas said. “If we could both wear the same number, we would do it.”
Thomas admitted that dealing with Wyatt’s loss was very difficult but remembering their bond, all the laughs and constant joking around has helped him manage. He feels that Wyatt would not want him be down. Instead, he would want him to be happy and keep his name alive.
Big Decisions Lie Ahead
Thomas is on the verge of realizing the culmination of all his hard work. Before each week, he maps out his workout schedule around his classes. Some weeks he really wants to focus on his arms or legs, and other weeks he works mostly on his swing. He notices that he is often on his own during these sessions, which makes him feel like a maniac.
“I always have in the back of my mind that somebody’s working out when I’m not, so when I do workout, I’ve got to separate myself,” Thomas said. He added that when he hits with his dad, he gets so many blisters on his hands from swinging too much that his dad has to tell him when to stop. “So if somebody ever sees me with an extra batting glove on my left hand or right hand, it’s because I got a blister.”
He has competed with and against some of the best talent in the country with his travel team, the Arkansas Sticks. Some of his favorite battles include facing left-hander Thomas White and right-hander Travis Sykora. Both players are considered among the top prospects in the upcoming draft, and their fastballs hit the high 90s. After seeing those arms, it was a struggle adjusting back to slower high school pitching at first. Then, his dad reminded him that it is just like hitting a changeup, a skill he will need at the next level. Thomas took that as another challenge and has since “mastered” the art of hitting off-speed pitching.
It is that work ethic that has put Thomas in the position to choose where he will play college ball next year. Only one thing could alter those plans – the draft.
Thomas has been in constant communication with Major League scouts, sometimes with as many as 12 per week. Interactions have included sending videos, discussing nutrition, workout plans and metrics. Other times, they pick his brain and get to know each other. Teams showing interest so far include the Twins, Reds, Blue Jays, Royals, Guardians and Phillies.
Thomas considers it a blessing to be in this position and is having fun with the process. He sees his name show up in mock drafts but does not put any stock into where they predict him to ultimately land. There is no round cutoff that will influence his decision to go pro or stay in school.
“I think it’s just fit for me,” Thomas explained. He plans to pray on his decision before rushing to make his move. “I’m not gonna jump the gun and say, ‘yeah I gotta go to pro ball’ or ‘yeah I gotta go to college.’ Kinda just let it roll out on its own. I’ll get it figured out when the time comes for sure.”