Cambridge native Scott Thorman takes next step as Triple-A manager

February is typically when warm thoughts of spring training permeate into the minds of baseball fans. As Major League Baseball continues its lockout, luckily minor league camps are unaffected by this deep freeze.

One local Cambridge native donning a brand-new manager’s cap this season is Scott Thorman. He was recently promoted to manager of the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Kansas City Royals’ Triple-A affiliate team.

Thorman spent last season as manager of the Royals Double-A affiliate team, guiding them to a league championship. It was the third minor league title of Thorman’s seven-year coaching career. He returns to Omaha, a city he’s quite familiar with as a former Triple-A Omaha Royals member.

“My wife Kelly and I have really fond memories of Omaha when I was playing there,” Thorman said. “We had my oldest son Robbie in the first year, and the second year, my middle son Tommy, was born. So we had both kids there in Omaha, and we’re looking forward to going back.”

Thorman wrapped up his playing days in 2012, but it wasn’t long before he transitioned over to the coaching side. In 2014, he signed on with the Royals organization as a base coach for the Burlington Royals.

While some big league players envision themselves becoming a coach or manager later in their careers, Thorman never saw coaching as part of his exit strategy, but settling into the manager’s chair was something that came naturally to him.

“It wasn’t really on my radar, to be honest. I didn’t envision once I was done playing that I would want to be a coach. But once I was away from the game for a few years, I really missed it. I was fortunate to get an opportunity to get back into the game and work in professional baseball.

“I realized it’s something that I really had a passion for. I enjoy doing it. I want to help young players reach their goals and do what’s best for their careers.”

He takes the helm of a promising young Storm Chasers team and becomes a key figure in the Kansas City Royals organization; a top 10-ranked farm system in baseball.

Thorman would love to add another minor league title to his mantle, but his primary goal is to help Triple-A players graduate to big leagues and watch them succeed.

“We’re very excited,” Thorman said. “We’ve drafted very well. We’ve developed well, and we’re excited for this next group of players that are breaking in already and are close to breaking in, to help the team win a World Championship.”

As any young Canadian growing up in the 80s and 90s, Thorman was an avid Blue Jays fan and marvelled when he saw a fellow Cambridge native don a big league uniform: Rob Ducey. When he was a teenager, the youngster received a shipment of big league wooden bats from Ducey, a gift Thorman won’t soon forget.

As a prospect who came up through the Atlanta Braves system, Thorman knows the journey these young players must take to reach the height of their baseball dreams. Current Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker was the one to tell Thorman he was officially a big leaguer.

Thorman relishes the fact he gets to tell these Triple-A players when they’ve made it.

“It’s the pinnacle of every young baseball player’s dream, to be told that they’re going to be a major leaguer. To be able to share that news is definitely special and something I don’t take lightly.”