| Jason Thompson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: (1954-07-06)July 6, 1954 (age 71) Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 23, 1976, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 24, 1986, for the Montreal Expos | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .261 |
| Home runs | 208 |
| Runs batted in | 782 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Jason Dolph Thompson (born July 6, 1954) is an American former professionalbaseballfirst baseman. He played inMajor League Baseball for theDetroit Tigers,California Angels,Pittsburgh Pirates, andMontreal Expos from 1976 to 1986. He was a three-timeMLB All-Star.
Thompson was drafted by theLos Angeles Dodgers in the fifteenth round of the1972 Major League Baseball draft, but chose instead to play ball atCal-State Northridge. He was then selected in the fourth round of the1975 Major League Baseball draft by theDetroit Tigers.
In his first professional season,1975, hebatted .324 with 10home runs and 38runs batted in for theSouthern League'sMontgomery Rebels. With regular first basemanDan Meyer batting .192 with only two RBIs, the Tigers gave the job to Thompson early into the1976 season. He responded by going four-for-five in his third game as a major leaguer.[1]
Despite batting just .218, Thompson led the Tigers with 17 home runs and was third on the club with 54 RBIs. He also earned a reputation as one of the top fielding first basemen in theAmerican League. Following the season, he was named to theTopps Rookie All-Star team.[2]
In1977, Thompson was batting .276 with 12 home runs and 65 RBIs at theAll-Star break to gain selection to the AL squad, but he did not appear in the game.[3] He was named to the All-Star team again a year later, and flew out toGeorge Foster in his onlyat-bat.[4]
In 1979, in a nationally televisedNBC game on June 16, Thompson hit two home runs in the game, a 4–2 loss. Thompson initially hit a foul ball over the roof in foul territory in right field completely out ofTiger Stadium offCalifornia Angels' right-handerDave Frost who later gave up both home runs. Thompson also hit several other home runs over the right field roof of Tiger stadium during his time in Detroit.[5] In four plus seasons with the Tigers, Thompson batted .256 with 98 home runs and 354 RBIs.
After getting off to a slow start in1980, Thompson was traded from the Tigers to the Angels forAl Cowens on May 27. The Angels had a shortage of power hitters due to injuries toDon Baylor andBrian Downing at the time.[6] Thompson assumed first base duties upon his acquisition by the Angels withHall of FamerRod Carew shifting todesignated hitter, however, they traded positions by the end of the season. Thompson batted over .300 for the Angels, but was traded to thePittsburgh Pirates duringspring training the following season forMickey Mahler andEd Ott.
Immediately after acquiring Thompson, the Pirates dealt him to theNew York Yankees forJim Spencer and minor league pitchers Greg Cochran and Fred Tolliver,[7] however, commissionerBowie Kuhn voided the deal. The Yankees were to pay Spencer's1981 salary according to the original deal; which put the transaction over the $400,000 limit the commissioner had established for any transaction.[8]
Now part of a team he was never intended to be part of, Thompson got off to a slow start with the Pirates, batting .171 with seven home runs and seventeen RBIs in the first half of thestrike shortened season. His hitting improved substantially in the second half of the 1981 season, as he batted .321 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs.
Thompson continued his hot hitting into1982, hitting thirteen home runs and batting .354 through the month of May to earn the third All-Star nod of his career.[9] For the season, Thompson batted .284 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs. He became the third player in Pirates history to reach the 100-RBI, 100-walk plateau, finishing fifth in theNational League in OPS with a .902 mark.
On June 26,1984, Thompson hit four home runs in adoubleheader against theChicago Cubs atWrigley Field, tyingRalph Kiner's 37-year franchise record for most home runs in a doubleheader.[10]
Thompson remained with the Pirates through1985, batting .259 with 93 home runs and 354 RBIs in his five seasons with the club. DuringSpring training1986, he was dealt to theMontreal Expos for two minor leaguers. He lost his starting job to rookieAndrés Galarraga shortly into the season, and was released on June 30. Thompson was unable to continue his career due to knee injuries.
| Seasons | Games | PA | AB | Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | Avg. | Slg. | OBP | Fld% |
| 11 | 1418 | 5686 | 4802 | 640 | 1253 | 204 | 12 | 208 | 782 | 8 | 816 | 862 | .261 | .438 | .366 | .992 |
While with the Tigers, Thompson earned the nickname "Roof Top" from his ability to hit balls onto theTiger Stadiumright field roof. On two occasions he powered the ball over the roof and completely out of the stadium.[11] A steady first baseman, he also led each league intotal chances in 1977 and1984.
· Baseball Almanac