Two decades later, best friends Thomas and Senzel reunited with Nats

Sleep is precious for Lane Thomas these days, with a newborn son at home. So when he woke up one morning last week, checked his phone and saw he had missed a 12:30 a.m. call from Nick Senzel, he was incredulous at first.

“I called him back and was like: ‘Dude, I go to sleep at 9 with a child. What were you calling me at 12:30 for?’” Thomas recalled. “And he said: ‘I’m a Nat!’”

Thus did Thomas and Senzel become teammates, and not for the first time.

Flash back two decades to a youth field in Knoxville, Tenn., and there you find a travel ball team of 7- and 8-year-olds starring a couple of kids named Nick Senzel and Lane Thomas. Being 7-year-olds who didn’t know any better, they absolutely would’ve believed they’d someday not only both be major leaguers, but teammates for the Nationals (a team that didn’t even exist at the time, by the way).

As they got older, that dream scenario faded. Who really thinks like that once they have just a little bit of life perspective?

And yet, when Senzel agreed to a $2 million contract last week to be the Nationals’ new third baseman, the first person he called was his best friend since childhood, the guy who just happened to already play right field in D.C.

“It’s an opportunity that was brought to me, an opportunity to play every day and get a new start in an historic franchise. It was just kind of a no-brainer for me,” Senzel said. “And having Lane – one of my best buddies I grew up with – playing right field, it’s just really insane, to be honest with you. …

“I still can’t believe we’re going to be teammates next year.”

Most outside observers would never have guessed Senzel would be joining the Nats trying to resurrect what to date has been a disappointing career, while Thomas was already establishing himself as one of the best all-around right fielders in the majors.

Senzel was always the better player growing up. He was the shortstop on all those travel ball teams, with Thomas initially playing third base and eventually moving to the outfield. Senzel could’ve gone straight to the pros out of Farragut High School but had a scholarship offer from Tennessee and wound up starring in college and playing his way all the way up to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 Draft by the Reds. Thomas did go pro after playing at rival Bearden High School and was taken in the fifth round by the Blue Jays.

“He was way better than me growing up,” Thomas said. “He was just this fully developed kid. When he got to our team, I was like: ‘Oh, I’m terrible.’ You know with young kids … some have hair on their legs, and some just look like they came out of the womb two months ago. I was one of those kids. It took me a while to bloom.”

They both made their major league debuts in 2019, Thomas having already been traded to the Cardinals at that point, Senzel tearing through Cincinnati’s farm system in only two and a half years.

Their paths diverged from there. Thomas struggled to get consistent playing time in St. Louis, then was dealt to the Nats in July 2021 for Jon Lester. His career has taken off since, culminating with his 28-homer, 20-steal, 18-assist breakthrough performance this season.

Senzel spent parts of five seasons with the Reds, never fully taking off. He was moved from his natural third base position to center field because Cincinnati already had Eugenio Suárez locked up. Then he was moved all around the diamond, from center field to second base to third base to left and right fields. Along the way, he also dealt with a litany of injuries to his shoulder, his knee, his elbow. He even missed time with vertigo.

And come November, with the Reds now awash in younger talent, Senzel was out of work, non-tendered by the organization that drafted him, trying to figure out where to turn to next and trying to figure out how to shed the label of a top prospect who failed to live up to his billing.

“Anytime you get drafted that high, there’s an expectation that comes with it,” he said. “I think a lot of it is self-imposed pressure. I think that was something I had to learn how to handle and get through. … The older I’ve gotten, and the years of failure and success and riding that wave, I’ve gotten a better handle on how to handle that stuff. It was definitely tough.”

Thomas has been there for him throughout. The two live nearby each other in Knoxville. They work out together nearly every day. The first time Thomas was left home alone with newborn son Henry this fall, he immediately called Senzel (who had his first child in 2021) and asked him to come over.

Neither man knew where Senzel would end up signing this offseason, but Thomas figured the Nationals would probably have some interest. And his honest thoughts on playing here were much appreciated by Senzel, who knew he could trust his best friend more than anyone else he asked.

“It’s really important,” Senzel said. “You can go straight to the source, someone who’s been traded over from two different organizations and has now found a home in Washington. All I’ve ever known is Cincinnati. So being able to talk to him, knowing what to expect, he’ll be honest and tell me what to expect about everything. He’s had nothing but great things to say and is just super-excited I’m going to be able to be a part of it.”

Senzel is walking into a situation not all that different from the one he left in Cincinnati. The Nationals have a crop of top prospects they hope are big-league-ready sometime in 2024, just as the Reds had in 2023. Senzel may be nothing more than a placeholder at third base until Brady House makes his debut.

Then again, Thomas was never supposed to be part of the Nats’ long-term plan when he was acquired. He was maybe going to be a fifth outfielder, not the starting right fielder and No. 2 hitter who now will be the veteran playing alongside Dylan Crews and James Wood before long.

Thomas can’t help but notice the similarities to his arrival in Washington and believe Senzel could reap similar benefits.

“One hundred percent,” Thomas said. “He played left, right, second, third. I get there’s a role for that player, a utility role. But for somebody coming off injuries and then having to play five different positions, it’s hard. There’s no excuses. But at the same time, come here and I know how this coaching staff is and how they roll and how he’s going to fit in, I think it’s going to be a good opportunity for him.”

And even if it doesn’t turn out that way, if Senzel only lasts here a few months before departing, at least these two kids from Knoxville will have the opportunity to live out a lifelong dream.

Teammates at 7 in Little League. Teammates again at 28 in the major leagues? Come on.

“It’s just crazy,” Senzel said. “Full circle, getting to be in the big leagues. I told him: ‘That just never happens.’”