At the time of his selection, the 6-foot, 185-pound senior shortstop had led the Roadrunners to a 25-9 record entering the Class 3A state tournament. Thome batted .535 with 57 runs scored, 29 RBI, seven home runs, eight triples and a 1.676 OPS He also went 49-for-50 on stolen base attempts, setting Nazareth’s single-season steals and triples record. The 2026 East Suburban Catholic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, he’s ranked as the nation’s No. 19 prospect in the Class of 2026 by Prep Baseball Report and the No. 56 overall draft prospect by Baseball America.
Thome has maintained a 3.71 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to play baseball at the University of Tennessee this fall, but is projected as an early-round selection in July’s Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.
The son of MLB Hall of Famer Jim Thome, the Roadrunners’ standout has volunteered locally with Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit that packages and distributes food to people in developing nations. Thome has also served as a tutor for Chicago elementary school students, and has donated his time with the Misericordia Home in Chicago.
