Lee Thomas

Born: 2/5/1936 in Peoria, IL, USA

Died: 8/31/2022 in St. Louis, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1961-04-22 | Final Game: 1968-09-27

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: James Leroy Thomas

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Biography

Lee Thomas, born in 1936, was a notable position player in Major League Baseball who played from 1961 to 1968. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 1,027 games, where he showcased a blend of power and consistency at the plate. Thomas amassed a total of 847 hits, including 106 home runs, and drove in 428 runs, achieving a career batting average of .255. Additionally, he demonstrated speed on the bases, accumulating 25 stolen bases throughout his time in the league. Thomas was recognized for his contributions to the game, earning All-Star selections twice during his career. He played during a competitive era marked by significant changes in the game, including the increasing integration of players and the evolution of offensive strategies. His ability to impact games with both his bat and his speed made him a valuable player for the teams he represented, and his legacy remains a part of baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1027	3324	405	847	111	22	106	428	25	332	397	0.255	0.327	0.397	0.724	3360.9

Career AVG .255 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .327 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .397 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — +6.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.724 vs. league average 0.686 across their career seasons — +5.5% 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
1961	NYY	AL	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.500	—	—	—	—	0.0
1961	LAA	AL	130	450	77	128	11	5	24	70	0	47	74	0.284	.258 (+10%)	.328 (+7%)	.399 (+23%)	.727 (+16%)	0.0
1962	LAA	AL	160	583	88	169	21	2	26	104	6	55	74	0.290	.257 (+13%)	.326 (+9%)	.393 (+19%)	.719 (+14%)	1719.6
1963	LAA	AL	149	528	52	116	12	6	9	55	6	53	82	0.220	.246 (-11%)	.308 (-3%)	.371 (-15%)	.680 (-9%)	-822.0
1964	LAA	AL	47	172	14	47	8	1	2	24	1	18	22	0.273	.250 (+9%)	.312 (+9%)	.377 (-3%)	.690 (+2%)	98.5
1964	BOS	AL	107	401	44	103	19	2	13	42	2	34	29	0.257	.250 (+3%)	.312 (+2%)	.377 (+9%)	.690 (+6%)	98.5
1965	BOS	AL	151	521	74	141	27	4	22	75	6	72	42	0.271	.245 (+10%)	.310 (+16%)	.371 (+25%)	.682 (+21%)	2245.0
1966	ATL	NL	39	126	11	25	1	1	6	15	1	10	15	0.198	.248 (-20%)	.309 (-16%)	.376 (-3%)	.685 (-9%)	-198.2
1966	CHC	NL	75	149	15	36	4	0	1	9	0	14	15	0.242	.248 (-3%)	.309 (+3%)	.376 (-23%)	.685 (-11%)	-198.2
1967	CHC	NL	77	191	16	42	4	1	2	23	1	15	22	0.220	.242 (-9%)	.306 (-7%)	.357 (-21%)	.663 (-15%)	-447.4
1968	HOU	NL	90	201	14	39	4	0	1	11	2	14	22	0.194	.236 (-18%)	.298 (-17%)	.340 (-33%)	.638 (-25%)	-820.7

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	425	383	3489	275	46	313
OF	485	448	789	34	21	5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1961	LAA	1B	34	30	267	10	5	26
1961	LAA	OF	86	79	159	9	6	1
1962	LAA	1B	90	79	735	42	14	66
1962	LAA	OF	74	67	133	5	4	1
1963	LAA	1B	104	98	961	84	4	88
1963	LAA	OF	43	41	71	1	1	1
1964	LAA	1B	1	0	2	0	0	0
1964	LAA	OF	47	44	71	4	4	1
1964	BOS	1B	1	0	3	0	0	0
1964	BOS	OF	107	107	176	6	1	1
1965	BOS	1B	127	123	1035	97	18	86
1965	BOS	OF	20	18	29	1	1	0
1966	ATL	1B	36	33	281	26	4	22
1966	CHN	1B	20	12	121	8	1	13
1966	CHN	OF	17	15	23	1	0	0
1967	CHN	1B	10	6	71	5	0	9
1967	CHN	OF	43	36	60	2	2	0
1968	HOU	1B	2	2	13	3	0	3
1968	HOU	OF	48	41	67	5	2	0