Sam Thompson

⭐ Hall of Fame 1974

Born: 3/5/1860 in Danville, IN, USA

Died: 11/7/1922 in Detroit, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1885-07-02 | Final Game: 1906-09-10

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 207 lbs

Full name: Samuel Luther Thompson

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Biography

Samuel "Sam" Thompson was a prominent Major League Baseball player who made his mark in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1860, Thompson played the majority of his career from 1885 to 1906, establishing himself as one of the era's most formidable hitters. Over the course of 1,410 games, he recorded an impressive 1,988 hits, achieving a remarkable batting average of .331. His offensive prowess was highlighted by 126 home runs and 1,308 RBIs, making him a consistent run producer and a key player for his teams. Thompson was known for his exceptional batting skills, combining both power and speed on the base paths, as evidenced by his 232 stolen bases. His contributions to the game extended beyond mere statistics; he was recognized for his keen understanding of hitting and base running, which played a significant role in the evolution of offensive play during a period characterized by the transition from the deadball era. His legacy was cemented when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, honoring his impactful career and solidifying his place in baseball history as one of the great hitters of his time.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1.0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000

Pitching

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA
2.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	3.0	1.0	1.0	0	0	0	3.00

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season	PA	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1933	2.0	2.0	0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0.500	0.500	0.500	1.000
1935	11.0	9.0	0	1.0	0	1.0	0	0	0	0.111	0.111	0.111	0.222
1936	30.0	29.0	2.0	6.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	0	0	0.207	0.233	0.241	0.474
1937	32.0	32.0	4.0	9.0	3.0	9.0	0	1.0	0	0.281	0.281	0.375	0.656
1938	3.0	3.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0.250	.000	0.250
1939	25.0	25.0	2.0	8.0	0	1.0	0	0	0	0.320	0.320	0.320	0.640
1940	28.0	25.0	3.0	6.0	1.0	1.0	2.0	0	0	0.240	0.296	0.280	0.576
1941	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
1942	22.0	22.0	0	3.0	0	0	0	0	1.0	0.136	0.136	0.136	0.272
1948	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
1957	1.0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season	W	GS	CG	H	R	ER	HR	ERA
1933	1.0	0	0	6.0	4.0	0	1.0	0.00
1935	8.0	4.0	2.0	34.0	15.0	0	1.0	0.00
1936	22.0	12.0	6.0	77.0	49.0	38.0	5.0	3.90
1937	9.0	14.0	9.0	96.0	55.0	35.0	11.0	3.10
1938	11.0	1.0	1.0	12.0	7.0	0	2.0	0.00
1939	19.0	10.0	5.0	70.0	56.0	2.0	9.0	0.21
1940	15.0	7.0	5.0	82.0	49.0	12.0	3.0	1.87
1941	0	2.0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
1942	11.0	7.0	3.0	68.0	41.0	5.0	4.0	0.86
1948	0	4.0	1.0	10.0	11.0	0	0	0.00
1957	2.0	0	0	3.0	1.0	1.0	0	3.00

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1410	5998	1261	1988	343	161	126	1308	232	452	234	0.331	0.384	0.505	0.890	29910.3

Career AVG .331 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — +25.1% above league average.

Career OBP .384 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +16.3% above league average.

Career SLG .505 vs. league average .356 across their career seasons — +42.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.890 vs. league average 0.686 across their career seasons — +29.7% 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
1885	DTN	NL	63	254	58	77	11	9	7	44	0	16	22	0.303	.244 (+24%)	.287 (+20%)	.325 (+54%)	.613 (+38%)	1383.9
1886	DTN	NL	122	503	101	156	18	13	8	89	13	35	31	0.310	.246 (+26%)	.302 (+17%)	.331 (+34%)	.634 (+26%)	2228.1
1887	DTN	NL	127	545	118	203	29	23	10	166	22	32	19	0.372	.270 (+38%)	.331 (+26%)	.373 (+51%)	.705 (+39%)	4031.3
1888	DTN	NL	56	238	51	67	10	8	6	40	5	23	10	0.282	.238 (+18%)	.290 (+21%)	.319 (+46%)	.610 (+34%)	1219.7
1889	PHI	NL	128	533	103	158	36	4	20	111	24	36	22	0.296	.263 (+12%)	.334 (+4%)	.357 (+37%)	.691 (+21%)	1994.0
1890	PHI	NL	132	549	116	172	41	9	4	102	25	42	29	0.313	.260 (+20%)	.336 (+10%)	.351 (+26%)	.687 (+18%)	1808.3
1891	PHI	NL	133	554	108	163	23	10	7	90	29	52	20	0.294	.254 (+16%)	.331 (+10%)	.343 (+19%)	.675 (+15%)	1508.1
1892	PHI	NL	153	609	109	186	28	11	9	104	28	59	19	0.305	.244 (+25%)	.316 (+19%)	.327 (+32%)	.644 (+26%)	2929.4
1893	PHI	NL	131	600	130	222	37	13	11	126	18	50	17	0.370	.279 (+32%)	.356 (+19%)	.379 (+40%)	.735 (+30%)	3567.5
1894	PHI	NL	102	451	114	187	32	28	13	149	27	42	13	0.415	.309 (+34%)	.379 (+23%)	.435 (+60%)	.814 (+43%)	3938.4
1895	PHI	NL	119	538	131	211	45	21	18	165	27	31	11	0.392	.296 (+32%)	.361 (+19%)	.399 (+64%)	.761 (+42%)	4426.4
1896	PHI	NL	119	517	103	154	28	7	12	100	12	28	13	0.298	.290 (+3%)	.354 (-4%)	.387 (+16%)	.741 (+7%)	521.1
1897	PHI	NL	3	13	2	3	0	1	0	3	0	1	2	0.231	—	—	—	—	0.0
1898	PHI	NL	14	63	14	22	5	3	1	15	2	4	1	0.349	.270 (+29%)	.333 (+16%)	.347 (+65%)	.680 (+41%)	354.0
1906	DET	AL	8	31	3	7	0	1	0	4	0	1	5	0.226	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
15	58	8	21	2	0	2	7	3	3	0.362

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1887	WS	DTN	15	58	8	21	2	0	2	7	3	3	0.362

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	0	7	0	1	0
OF	1409	8	2167	283	172	61

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1885	DTN	OF	63	0	84	24	14	0
1886	DTN	OF	122	0	194	29	13	11
1887	DTN	OF	127	0	217	24	24	7
1888	DTN	OF	56	0	86	4	12	0
1889	PHI	OF	128	0	173	19	21	7
1890	PHI	OF	132	0	170	29	13	5
1891	PHI	OF	133	0	234	32	18	6
1892	PHI	OF	153	0	223	28	17	7
1893	PHI	1B	1	0	7	0	1	0
1893	PHI	OF	131	0	171	17	14	3
1894	PHI	OF	102	0	161	12	5	2
1895	PHI	OF	118	0	186	31	13	2
1896	PHI	OF	119	0	231	28	7	11
1897	PHI	OF	3	0	4	1	1	0
1898	PHI	OF	14	0	19	5	0	0
1906	DET	OF	8	8	14	0	0	0