Bobby Thigpen, baseball player, 1986-1994

Bobby Thigpen

Born: 7/17/1963 in Tallahassee, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1986-08-06 | Final Game: 1994-04-27

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Robert Thomas Thigpen

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Biography

Bobby Thigpen, born in 1963, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1986 until his retirement in 1994. Known for his exceptional closing ability, Thigpen established himself as one of the top relief pitchers of his time, earning an All-Star selection during his noteworthy career. He played primarily for the Chicago White Sox, where he became a key figure in the bullpen and was instrumental in securing games with his powerful pitching style. Throughout his career, Thigpen amassed a record of 31-36 and demonstrated remarkable skill in high-pressure situations, finishing with an impressive 201 saves and a 3.43 ERA. His ability to strike out batters was evident, as he recorded 376 strikeouts over his career. Thigpen’s contributions to the game were particularly significant during the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period marked by an increasing emphasis on specialized relief pitching. He left a lasting legacy in the White Sox organization and remains a notable figure in the evolution of the closer role in baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
31 36 448 0 0 0 201 568.7 537 217 56 238 376 3.43 0

Career ERA 3.43 vs. league average 3.98 across their career seasons — 13.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1986 CHW AL 2 0 20 0 0 0 7 35.7 26 7 12 20 1.77 3.97 (+56%) -
1987 CHW AL 7 5 51 0 0 0 16 89.0 86 27 24 52 2.73 4.29 (+36%) -
1988 CHW AL 5 8 68 0 0 0 34 90.0 96 33 33 62 3.30 3.73 (+12%) -
1989 CHW AL 2 6 61 0 0 0 34 79.0 62 33 40 47 3.76 3.71 (-1%) -
1990 CHW AL 4 6 77 0 0 0 57 88.7 60 18 32 70 1.83 3.86 (+53%) -
1991 CHW AL 7 5 67 0 0 0 30 69.7 63 27 38 47 3.49 3.91 (+11%) -
1992 CHW AL 1 3 55 0 0 0 22 55.0 58 29 33 45 4.75 3.75 (-27%) -
1993 CHW AL 0 0 25 0 0 0 1 34.7 51 22 12 19 5.71 4.19 (-36%) -
1993 PHI NL 3 1 17 0 0 0 0 19.3 23 13 9 10 6.05 4.19 (-44%) -320.2
1994 SEA AL 0 2 7 0 0 0 0 7.7 12 8 5 4 9.39 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
448 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.000 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1986 CHW AL 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 CHW AL 51 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 CHW AL 68 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 CHW AL 61 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 CHW AL 77 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 CHW AL 67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 CHW AL 55 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 CHW AL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 PHI NL 17 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1994 SEA AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1993 NLCS PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1993 WS PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 4 0 0 4.3 2 1 2 3 2.08

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1993 NLCS PHI 0 0 2 0 0 1.7 1 1 1 3 5.40
1993 WS PHI 0 0 2 0 0 2.7 1 0 1 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 448 0 43 71 4 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1986 CHA P 20 0 2 4 0 1
1987 CHA P 51 0 8 14 2 1
1988 CHA P 68 0 5 11 0 2
1989 CHA P 61 0 7 7 0 0
1990 CHA P 77 0 10 8 1 2
1991 CHA P 67 0 3 15 1 0
1992 CHA P 55 0 7 6 0 2
1993 CHA P 25 0 1 2 0 1
1993 PHI P 17 0 0 3 0 1
1994 SEA P 7 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 448

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1990 Pitcher of the Month May
1990 Reliever of the Year Award
1990 TSN Fireman of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1994 SEA AL $200,000
1993 CHA AL $3,416,667
1992 CHA AL $3,166,667
1991 CHA AL $2,418,667
1990 CHA AL $325,000
1989 CHA AL $467,500
1988 CHA AL $70,000
1987 CHA AL $625,000
1986 CHA AL $60,000
Total Career Earnings $10,749,501

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS 1984, 1985
Seminole Community College Sanford FL 1983

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1990 Cy Young Award AL 4th 20.0 140 2
1990 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 170.0 392 0