| Robby Thompson | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Thompson with theSeattle Mariners in 2013 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: (1962-05-10)May 10, 1962 (age 63) West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 8, 1986, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 22, 1996, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .257 |
| Home runs | 119 |
| Runs batted in | 458 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Robert Randall Thompson (born May 10, 1962) is anAmerican former professionalbaseball player andcoach. He played his entire career inMajor League Baseball (1986–1996) with theSan Francisco Giants where he was their startingsecond baseman for eleven straight years. Although he was often overshadowed by his contemporary, Hall of Fame second basemanRyne Sandberg, Thompson was a two-time All-Star player who served as a catalyst for the powerful Giants offense led byWill Clark andKevin Mitchell during the team's resurgence in the late 1980s.
After his playing career, Thompson coached for the Giants,Cleveland Indians, andSeattle Mariners.
Thompson was born inWest Palm Beach, Florida.[1] He attendedForest Hill Community High School in West Palm Beach, where he played high school baseball for the Forest Hill Falcons. He played shortstop forPalm Beach Junior College in 1981 and 1982 and received an athletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of Florida in 1983, where he played for head coach Jack Rhine'sFlorida Gators baseball team. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the1983 Major League Baseball draft, and decided to forgo his remainingNCAA eligibility.[2] In 1985, while playing for theShreveport Captains in theTexas League, he posted a .261batting average along with 9home runs and was named to the league All-Star team.[3][4]
Thompson made his major league debut with the Giants on April 8,1986, at the age of 24.[1] In June, he became the first player in major league history to becaught stealing four times in one game (three occurred during attemptedhit and run plays).[5] Despite his rocky start, Thompson ended the season with a .271 batting average as the Giantsleadoff hitter and provided steady defense.[1] He won theSporting News Rookie of the Year Award and finished second toTodd Worrell in the 1986National LeagueRookie of the Year Award.[6][7] Thompson had surgery at the end of the season to have cartilage removed from his right knee.[8]
Thompson continued to perform well defensively in1987, teaming up with Giants shortstopJosé Uribe to form one of the bestdouble play combinations in baseball, and helped the Giants lead the major leagues with 183 double plays.[9] The Giants clinched theNational League Western Division title by six games over the Cincinnati Reds.[10] In the1987 National League Championship Series, Thompson played in pain with a bulging disc but still played well defensively helping the Giants set a playoff record with 10 double plays.[8][9] He also hit 1 home run and had 2runs batted in as the Giants were defeated by theSt. Louis Cardinals in a seven-game series.[11]
In1988, Thompson was hitting above .300 at mid-season to earn a spot as a reserve on the 1988National League All-Star team.[12][13] Unfortunately, he was once again plagued by an injury and had to miss the game due to a pinched nerve in his leg.[14]Brett Butler took over as the Giants leadoff hitter and Thompson, as the new number two hitter in thebatting order, struggled to make contact,striking out 111 times and ending the year with a .264 average.[1]
In 1989, Thompson's batting average dropped to .241. However, he led the National League with 11triples and scored a career-high 91runs while hitting ahead ofWill Clark andKevin Mitchell in the batting order.[1][15] The Giants once again won the Western Division crown and faced theChicago Cubs in the1989 National League Championship Series.[16] Thompson hit 2 home runs in the series including a game-winning two-run home run in Game 3 as the Giants went on to win the series in five games.[17][18] The victory marked the first time in 27 years that the Giants had won theNational League pennant. Thompson was held to only one hit in the1989 World Series against theOakland Athletics as the Giants were swept in four straight games.[19]
Thompson's best year statistically was in1993 when he was hitting for a .325 average at mid-season to earn his secondAll-Star selection; however, a leg injury would once again force him to miss the game.[20][21][22] The Giants had a nine-game lead on August 11 but faltered in September and were caught by theAtlanta Braves, though by no fault of Thompson, who increased his offensive output late in the season including a period in August where he hit home runs in five consecutive games.[20][23] With 10 games left in the season on September 24, Thompson suffered a broken cheek bone when he washit by a pitch thrown byTrevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres. He missed 8 games due to the injury, but with the Giants and Braves tied for first place Thompson returned to play the final game of the season.[20] Despite his determination, playing with a bloodshot eye and wearing a clear plastic mask in the field, the Giants lost the National League West on the last day of the season.[23][24]
Thompson ended the season with career highs in batting average (.312),doubles (30), home runs (19) andruns batted in (65).[1] Although Thompson was one of the best fielding second basemen in the National League, he was often overlooked in post-season awards because his playing career coincided with that ofBaseball Hall of Fame second basemanRyne Sandberg. By 1993, Sandberg was past his prime and Thompson finally received recognition when he won theGold Glove Award andSilver Slugger Award.[25][26][27] He was rewarded by the Giants in November when he signed a three-year contract for $12 million, making him the second-highest paid second baseman in baseball after Sandberg.[28]
Duringspring training in1994, Thompson received a scare when he was hit on the left ear flap of his batting helmet by pitcherMike Harkey of the Colorado Rockies.[29] Thompson later stated the twobeanings by Hoffman and Harkey were on his mind when he batted during games.[30][31] In May, he went onto thedisabled list and missed almost two months of the season.[32] He returned in late June, but played in only seven games before undergoing surgery on his right shoulder and missed the rest of the season.[33] Thompson's injuries continued to hamper his playing time in1995 and in September he had to undergo surgery again, this time on his left shoulder.[34] He returned to play in1996 but injuries continued to take their toll as he appeared in only 63 games.[1][35] Thompson played his last major league game on September 22, 1996, at the age of 34.[36]
Thompson was known for the well-usedbaseball glove with which he played for almost his entire career. He was offended when theSan Francisco Chronicle printed a story titled, "Thompson's Ugly, Pathetic Glove is a Gem."Rich Aurilia, who played at shortstop next to Thompson near the end of his career said, "I think by the time Robby was done, the glove mainly consisted ofpine tar andchew spit. I don't even know how much leather was left in it. I know for a fact Robby still has that glove."[37]
In an eleven-year major league career Thompson played in 1,304games, accumulating 1,187hits in 4,612at bats for a .257 career batting average along with 119 home runs, 458runs batted in and a .329on-base percentage. He led the National League in triples in 1989 with 11 and he finished his career with a .983fielding percentage. Thompson led National League second basemen in double plays for three consecutive seasons from1990 to1992.[1][38] Hehit for the cycle in a game on April 22, 1991.[39]
A two-timeAll-Star, Thompson was the recipient of one Gold Glove Award and one Silver Slugger Award. He won theWillie Mac Award in1991, honoring his spirit and leadership.[40] At the time of his retirement, Thompson was the all-time leader among Giants second basemen in games (1,304), at bats (4,612), runs (671), hits (1,187), doubles (238), triples (39), home runs (119), runs batted in (458),stolen bases (103), fielding percentage (.983) and double plays (873).[35][41]
Thompson served as the Giants first base coach in2000 and2001.[35] He was hired by theCleveland Indians as a first base coach in December 2001.[42] In 2003, he was promoted to special assistant to the Cleveland Indians'general manager before returning to the field in June 2005 as the Indians' bench coach.[43] In November 2010, Thompson was hired by the Seattle Mariners as their bench coach.[44] On July 22, 2013, Thompson began serving as interim manager whileEric Wedge recovered from a minorstroke. Thompson returned to his role as bench coach on August 23, 2013.[45] On November 1, 2013, the Mariners fired Thompson.[46]
· Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac, orRetrosheet| Achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle April 22, 1991 | Succeeded by |
