Bobby Thigpen
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1986-1994)
Bobby Thigpen was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 1994 for the Chicago White Sox, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Seattle Mariners, a span of 9 seasons. Across 448 career appearances, he went 31-36 with a 3.43 ERA, 376 strikeouts, and 201 saves. Bobby Thigpen was an All-Star and a Reliever of the Year.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 195 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1986-08-06
- Last Game
- 1994-04-27
- Awards
- All-Star · Reliever of the Year
Full name: Robert Thomas Thigpen
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | CHA | AL | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 35.2 | 26 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 1.77 | 3.97 (+56%) | 777.0 |
| 1987 | CHA | AL | 7 | 5 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 89.0 | 86 | 27 | 24 | 52 | 2.73 | 4.29 (+36%) | 499.0 |
| 1988 | CHA | AL | 5 | 8 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 90.0 | 96 | 33 | 33 | 62 | 3.30 | 3.73 (+12%) | 555.6 |
| 1989 | CHA | AL | 2 | 6 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 79.0 | 62 | 33 | 40 | 47 | 3.76 | 3.71 (-1%) | -2103.7 |
| 1990 | CHA | AL | 4 | 6 | 77 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 88.2 | 60 | 18 | 32 | 70 | 1.83 | 3.86 (+53%) | 1765.8 |
| 1991 | CHA | AL | 7 | 5 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 69.2 | 63 | 27 | 38 | 47 | 3.49 | 3.91 (+11%) | -2211.7 |
| 1992 | CHA | AL | 1 | 3 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 55.0 | 58 | 29 | 33 | 45 | 4.75 | 3.75 (-27%) | -426.8 |
| 1993 | CHA | AL | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 34.2 | 51 | 22 | 12 | 19 | 5.71 | 4.19 (-36%) | -908.0 |
| 1993 | PHI | NL | 3 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19.1 | 23 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 6.05 | 4.19 (-44%) | -318.9 |
| 1994 | SEA | AL | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 9.39 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 31 | 36 | 448 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 201 | 568.2 | 537 | 217 | 238 | 376 | 3.43 | — | -2,372 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
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 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 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 .000 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| 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 | CHA | AL | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | CHA | AL | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | CHA | AL | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | CHA | AL | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | CHA | AL | 77 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1991 | CHA | AL | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1992 | CHA | AL | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1993 | CHA | 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 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1994 | SEA | AL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 448 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (896 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 230 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 218 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 230 | 301.0 | 298 | 116 | 120 | 209 | 3.47 |
| Away | 218 | 267.2 | 239 | 101 | 118 | 167 | 3.40 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-04-27 | SEA | NYY | — | 2.1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994-04-23 | SEA | BAL | L | 1.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-04-20 | SEA | NYY | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-04-13 | SEA | MIN | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994-04-11 | SEA | MIN | — | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-04-09 | SEA | TOR | L | 1.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994-04-07 | SEA | CLE | — | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993-10-02 | PHI | STL | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1993-09-30 | PHI | PIT | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-09-28 | PHI | PIT | W | 0.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
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
Circle size = games played at each 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 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bobby Thigpen (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bobby Thigpen: the record in brief
According to the bio, Bobby Thigpen debuted on August 6, 1986 and played a final game on April 27, 1994. The team column moves through the Chicago White Sox (1986 through 1993), the Philadelphia Phillies (1993), and the Seattle Mariners (1994). The bio lists Thigpen as a pitcher who batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. The birth record reads July 17, 1963, in Tallahassee, FL, USA. Bobby Thigpen was the playing name; the full given name is Robert Thomas.
Thigpen pitched in 448 games, starting 0, and finished with a 31-36 record and 3.43 ERA. Also on Thigpen's record: 376 strikeouts and 201 saves. That 3.43 ERA compares with a 3.98 league average across the same seasons, 13.7% better. Thigpen won 7 games in 1987, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 70 in 1990. The most saves in one season was 57, in 1990. 1990 was Thigpen's sharpest full season, a 1.83 ERA against the league's 3.86.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bobby Thigpen
- What years did Bobby Thigpen play?
- Bobby Thigpen played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 1994.
- Was Bobby Thigpen a pitcher?
- Yes. Bobby Thigpen pitched in the major leagues, recording 31 wins and 376 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bobby Thigpen hit?
- Bobby Thigpen hit 0 career home runs.
- What was Bobby Thigpen's career batting average?
- Bobby Thigpen batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 1 at bats.
- What was Bobby Thigpen's career ERA?
- Bobby Thigpen finished with a 3.43 career ERA, going 31-36 with 376 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Bobby Thigpen have?
- Bobby Thigpen recorded 376 career strikeouts.