Frank Thomas (NL baseball player)

Infobox MLB retired
name=Frank Thomas
position=Left fielder / Third baseman / First baseman


bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1929|6|11
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
debutdate=August 17
debutyear=by|1951
debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
finaldate=October 2
finalyear=by|1966
finalteam=Chicago Cubs
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.266
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=286
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=962
teams=
* Pittsburgh Pirates (by|1951-by|1958)
* Cincinnati Reds (by|1959)
* Chicago Cubs (by|1960-by|1961, by|1967)
* Milwaukee Braves (by|1961, by|1965)
* New York Mets (by|1962-by|1964)
* Philadelphia Phillies (by|1964-by|1965)
* Houston Astros (by|1965)
highlights=
* 3x All-Star selection (1954, 1955, 1958)

Frank Joseph Thomas (born June 11 1929 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former left fielder and first and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1951-58), Cincinnati Reds (1959), Chicago Cubs (1960-61, 1966), Milwaukee Braves (1961, 1965), New York Mets (1962-64), Philadelphia Phillies (1964-65), and the Houston Astros (1965). He batted and threw right-handed.

In a 16-season career, Thomas posted a .266 batting average with 286 home runs and 962 RBIs in 1766 games.

Thomas' entry in The Sporting News' "Baseball Register" during his playing career contained a reference to the fact that Thomas studied for the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church from 1941 through 1946. His physical stature (6'3" and 205 lbs.) was larger than the average player at that time, and one of his nicknames as a player was "The Big Donkey."

Highlights

*12 straight years with double-figure home runs (1953-64)
*Best season, 1958 - Hit .281, finished second in the National League to Ernie Banks with 35 home runs and 109 RBIs, and belted three consecutive HR in a game (August 16). Despite his efforts, he was shipped to Cincinnati in the off-season in the same trade that sent Harvey Haddix and Don Hoak to Pittsburgh.
*In 1962, led the expansion Mets with 34 HRs and 94 RBIs. His home run mark would last as a Mets' team record until 1975, when Dave Kingman hit 36.
*Appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1958 (7/28/58).
* Frank Thomas is also the name of a successful current major league ballplayer (1990-present). He currently ranks 18th on the list as of October 12, by|2007 with 513 HRs (the older Thomas is 130th with 286 HRs) However, when the older Thomas retired, he ranked in the top 40 of all Major Leaguers for the number of career home runs. Both have also been featured on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" magazine, in 1958 [ [http://www.philadelphiaathletics.org/cart/thomas.htm Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society's Official Website and Online Shoppe ] ] and 2000 [ [http://backin.thedays.com/base.htm base ] ] , respectively.

References

ee also

*Top 500 home run hitters of all time
* Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

External links

* [http://www.frankthomastheoriginalone.com FrankThomasTheOriginalOne.com] - Official website of Frank Thomas "The Original One"
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/T/Thomas_Frank.stm Baseball Library] - Profile and chronology
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/t/thomafr03.shtml Baseball Reference] - Career statistics and analysis