Frank Thomas, baseball player, 286 home runs, 1951-1966

Frank Thomas

Born: 6/11/1929 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Died: 1/16/2023 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1951-08-17 | Final Game: 1966-05-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Frank Joseph Thomas

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Frank Thomas, born in 1929, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball who made significant contributions to the game from 1951 until his retirement on May 30, 1966. Over the course of his career, he played in 1,766 games, amassing a total of 1,671 hits, which included 286 home runs and 962 runs batted in, while maintaining a batting average of .266. Thomas was known for his powerful hitting and consistent performance at the plate, which earned him three All-Star selections during his playing years. Playing primarily in an era characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more power-centric approach, Thomas's ability to hit for both average and power made him a standout player of his time. In addition to his offensive prowess, he showcased speed with 15 stolen bases throughout his career. As a key figure in the league during the 1950s and early 1960s, Frank Thomas left a lasting legacy, remembered for his contributions to team success and the exciting style of play he brought to the diamond.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1766 6285 792 1671 262 31 286 962 15 484 894 0.266 0.320 0.454 0.774 9055.1

Career AVG .266 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .320 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .454 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — +17.5% above league average.

Career OPS 0.774 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — +9.1% above 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
1951 PIT NL 39 148 21 39 9 2 2 16 0 9 15 0.264 .260 (+1%) .336 (-9%) .385 (+2%) .721 (-3%) -138.6
1952 PIT NL 6 21 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.095 — — — — 0.0
1953 PIT NL 128 455 68 116 22 1 30 102 1 50 93 0.255 .264 (-4%) .335 (-1%) .397 (+27%) .733 (+14%) 1184.5
1954 PIT NL 153 577 81 172 32 7 23 94 3 51 74 0.298 .261 (+14%) .333 (+8%) .390 (+27%) .723 (+18%) 2038.6
1955 PIT NL 142 510 72 125 16 2 25 72 2 60 76 0.245 .258 (-5%) .332 (-3%) .393 (+9%) .726 (+4%) 355.1
1956 PIT NL 157 588 69 166 24 3 25 80 0 36 61 0.282 .258 (+9%) .331 (-2%) .397 (+16%) .728 (+8%) 787.1
1957 PIT NL 151 594 72 172 30 1 23 89 3 44 66 0.290 .257 (+12%) .323 (+4%) .391 (+17%) .715 (+11%) 1175.0
1958 PIT NL 149 562 89 158 26 4 35 109 0 42 79 0.281 .257 (+9%) .324 (+3%) .394 (+34%) .719 (+20%) 2064.8
1959 CIN NL 108 374 41 84 18 2 12 47 0 27 56 0.225 .256 (-12%) .323 (-14%) .392 (-3%) .715 (-8%) -716.3
1960 CHC NL 135 479 54 114 12 1 21 64 1 28 74 0.238 .255 (-7%) .323 (-14%) .387 (+3%) .711 (-5%) -561.0
1961 CHC NL 15 50 7 13 2 0 2 6 0 2 8 0.260 .258 (+1%) .328 (-12%) .399 (+5%) .727 (-3%) -32.9
1961 ATL NL 124 423 58 120 13 3 25 67 2 29 70 0.284 .258 (+10%) .328 (+2%) .399 (+27%) .727 (+16%) -32.9
1962 NYN NL 156 571 69 152 23 3 34 94 2 48 95 0.266 .257 (+3%) .326 (+1%) .393 (+26%) .719 (+15%) 1541.3
1963 NYN NL 126 420 34 109 9 1 15 60 0 33 48 0.260 .246 (+5%) .308 (+2%) .371 (+6%) .680 (+4%) 349.5
1964 NYN NL 60 197 19 50 6 1 3 19 1 10 29 0.254 .250 (+1%) .312 (-6%) .377 (-10%) .690 (-8%) -272.8
1964 PHI NL 39 143 20 42 11 0 7 26 0 5 12 0.294 .250 (+17%) .312 (avg) .377 (+37%) .690 (+20%) -272.8
1965 PHI NL 35 77 7 20 4 0 1 7 0 4 10 0.260 .245 (+6%) .310 (-7%) .371 (-6%) .682 (-6%) -103.2
1965 HOU NL 23 58 7 10 2 0 3 9 0 3 15 0.172 .245 (-30%) .310 (-33%) .371 (-3%) .682 (-16%) -103.2
1965 ATL NL 15 33 3 7 3 0 0 1 0 2 11 0.212 — — — — -103.2
1966 CHC NL 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 268 247 2166 177 40 197
2B 4 0 3 0 0 0
3B 394 374 355 657 79 59
OF 1045 835 2116 96 50 14

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1951 PIT OF 37 0 87 5 0 2
1952 PIT OF 5 0 8 1 0 0
1953 PIT OF 118 0 306 17 8 1
1954 PIT OF 153 152 418 14 5 2
1955 PIT OF 139 136 307 8 5 3
1956 PIT 2B 4 0 3 0 0 0
1956 PIT 3B 111 105 118 176 18 21
1956 PIT OF 56 50 95 3 0 1
1957 PIT 1B 71 70 597 52 15 53
1957 PIT 3B 31 24 27 53 7 4
1957 PIT OF 59 57 105 14 3 3
1958 PIT 1B 2 2 20 3 0 1
1958 PIT 3B 139 139 122 240 29 21
1958 PIT OF 8 7 18 0 1 0
1959 CIN 1B 14 14 111 15 2 11
1959 CIN 3B 64 63 55 111 13 8
1959 CIN OF 33 18 40 0 4 0
1960 CHN 1B 50 48 426 34 8 36
1960 CHN 3B 33 33 25 55 6 4
1960 CHN OF 49 39 77 3 3 0
1961 CHN 1B 6 4 41 2 0 2
1961 CHN OF 10 8 9 2 0 0
1961 ML1 1B 11 4 48 4 0 6
1961 ML1 OF 109 109 202 4 10 0
1962 NYN 1B 11 9 88 3 1 7
1962 NYN 3B 10 10 7 19 4 1
1962 NYN OF 126 126 216 14 9 0
1963 NYN 1B 15 15 146 9 1 9
1963 NYN 3B 1 0 0 0 1 0
1963 NYN OF 96 94 158 8 2 1
1964 NYN 1B 19 17 142 14 1 11
1964 NYN 3B 2 0 1 2 0 0
1964 NYN OF 31 31 58 2 0 1
1964 PHI 1B 36 36 297 28 8 37
1965 PHI 1B 11 10 88 4 1 10
1965 PHI 3B 1 0 0 1 1 0
1965 PHI OF 12 5 10 1 0 0
1965 HOU 1B 16 12 118 6 2 11
1965 HOU 3B 2 0 0 0 0 0
1965 HOU OF 1 1 0 0 0 0
1965 ML1 1B 6 6 44 3 1 3
1965 ML1 OF 3 2 2 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 268
Second Base 4
Third Base 394
Left Field 712
Center Field 307
Right Field 50

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1958 TSN All-Star 3B

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1958 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 143.0 336 2
1957 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 8.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 1.0 336 0
1954 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 24.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 6.0 336 0