Don Thompson (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Donald Newlin Thompson was a Major League Baseball
player. He was an outfielder
for the Boston Braves
and Brooklyn Dodgers
from 1949 to 1954.
. In 1943, he signed with the Boston Red Sox
organization as a pitcher
. He pitched in the minor leagues for a few years but then hurt his arm. He converted into an outfielder, and in 1947 he hit .328 for the Class D Milford Red Sox.
Thompson made his major league debut in 1949 for the Braves. After the season, he was traded to the Dodgers and spent 1950 with their top minor league club, the International League
's Montreal Royals
. He led the Royals in all three triple crown categories and was promoted to the major league team in 1951. As a backup outfielder in 1951, Thompson hit just .229. He had the lowest batting average
and OPS
of any Dodger player with over 100 at-bats, and Brooklyn lost the pennant by one game.
In 1952, Thompson returned to Montreal and batted .345. He was Brooklyn's left fielder
in 1953. His career highlight came in game 4 of that year's World Series
, when he threw out the New York Yankees
' Billy Martin
at home plate to end the game. In 1954, Thompson hit just .040 in 34 games and was again sent down to Montreal. He retired after the season.
Thompson died in 2009, at the age of 85.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. He was an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
and Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
from 1949 to 1954.
Baseball career
Thompson was born in Swepsonville, North CarolinaSwepsonville, North Carolina
Swepsonville is a town in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. In 1943, he signed with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
organization as a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. He pitched in the minor leagues for a few years but then hurt his arm. He converted into an outfielder, and in 1947 he hit .328 for the Class D Milford Red Sox.
Thompson made his major league debut in 1949 for the Braves. After the season, he was traded to the Dodgers and spent 1950 with their top minor league club, the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
's Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
. He led the Royals in all three triple crown categories and was promoted to the major league team in 1951. As a backup outfielder in 1951, Thompson hit just .229. He had the lowest batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and OPS
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...
of any Dodger player with over 100 at-bats, and Brooklyn lost the pennant by one game.
In 1952, Thompson returned to Montreal and batted .345. He was Brooklyn's left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
in 1953. His career highlight came in game 4 of that year's World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, when he threw out the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
' Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
at home plate to end the game. In 1954, Thompson hit just .040 in 34 games and was again sent down to Montreal. He retired after the season.
Later life
Thompson went into the automobile business after his baseball days were over and later became a real estate agent. He was elected into the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame in 1997.Thompson died in 2009, at the age of 85.