Thole grew up in Breese, Illinois, and attended Mater Dei High school. In November 2004, he signed a letter of intent to play college baseball in NCAA Division II for Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois.\n', '

Thole was drafted by the New York Mets in the 13th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. He was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Mets, where he played in 35 games and hit .269 with one home run and 12 runs batted in (RBI). He played the entire 2006 minor league season with the Rookie-Advanced Kingsport Mets, appearing in 36 games and batting .235 with one home run and 12 RBI. Thole was assigned to the Class-A Savannah Sand Gnats in 2007, and played in a career-high 117 games. While he did not hit a home run that season, he hit .267 with 36 RBI and walked more than he struck out, with 61 and 57 respectively.\n', '

Thole was promoted to the Advanced-A St. Lucie Mets in 2008, where he was a mid-season and postseason All-Star. In 111 games that year, he would hit .300 with five home runs and 56 RBI. In the offseason, Thole played in 19 games for the Peoria Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, where he was named a Rising Star, batting .319 with two home runs and 17 RBI. He was assigned to the Double-A Binghamton Mets to open the 2009 season, and hit .328 with one home run and 46 RBI in 103 games. He was named a mid-season All-Star for the second consecutive season, and established himself as a solid singles hitter.\n', '

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