Roy Thomas
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1899-1911)
Roy Thomas was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1911 for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Boston Braves, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,470 career games, he hit .290 with 1,537 hits, 7 home runs, and 299 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 22,392.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 150 lb
- Died
- 11/20/1959 in Norristown, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1899-04-14
- Last Game
- 1911-09-04
Full name: Roy Allen Thomas
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,470 | 5,296 | 1,011 | 1,537 | 100 | 53 | 7 | 299 | 244 | 1,042 | 521 | .290 | .413 | .333 | .747 | 22,392 |
Career AVG .290 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +13.3% above league average.
Career OBP .413 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — +30.9% above league average.
Career SLG .333 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .747 vs. league average .649 across their career seasons — +15.1% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | PHI | NL | 150 | 547 | 137 | 178 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 47 | 42 | 115 | 45 | .325 | .282 (+15%) | .343 (+33%) | .366 (-1%) | .710 (+15%) | 2721.7 |
| 1900 | PHI | NL | 140 | 531 | 132 | 168 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 37 | 115 | 52 | .316 | .279 (+13%) | .338 (+33%) | .366 (-8%) | .705 (+11%) | 2303.9 |
| 1901 | PHI | NL | 129 | 479 | 102 | 148 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 27 | 100 | 56 | .309 | .271 (+14%) | .326 (+34%) | .359 (-7%) | .686 (+12%) | 2043.9 |
| 1902 | PHI | NL | 138 | 500 | 89 | 143 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 17 | 107 | 53 | .286 | .266 (+7%) | .321 (+29%) | .343 (-6%) | .665 (+11%) | 1802.2 |
| 1903 | PHI | NL | 130 | 477 | 88 | 156 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 17 | 107 | 46 | .327 | .261 (+25%) | .316 (+43%) | .345 (+6%) | .662 (+23%) | 3063.5 |
| 1904 | PHI | NL | 139 | 496 | 92 | 144 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 28 | 102 | 61 | .290 | .246 (+18%) | .300 (+38%) | .321 (+7%) | .622 (+22%) | 2853.8 |
| 1905 | PHI | NL | 147 | 562 | 118 | 178 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 23 | 93 | 52 | .317 | .248 (+28%) | .307 (+36%) | .322 (+11%) | .629 (+23%) | 3052.7 |
| 1906 | PHI | NL | 142 | 493 | 81 | 125 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 22 | 107 | 44 | .254 | .247 (+2%) | .307 (+28%) | .315 (-4%) | .622 (+12%) | 1824.9 |
| 1907 | PHI | NL | 121 | 419 | 70 | 102 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 11 | 83 | 31 | .243 | .245 (-1%) | .304 (+23%) | .308 (-3%) | .613 (+10%) | 1245.4 |
| 1908 | PHI | NL | 6 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1908 | PIT | NL | 102 | 386 | 52 | 99 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 24 | 11 | 49 | 35 | .256 | .240 (+7%) | .298 (+17%) | .306 (+12%) | .605 (+14%) | 0.0 |
| 1909 | BSN | NL | 82 | 281 | 36 | 74 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 47 | 32 | .263 | .244 (+8%) | .306 (+20%) | .312 (-3%) | .618 (+8%) | 628.8 |
| 1910 | PHI | NL | 23 | 71 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | .183 | .249 (-27%) | .317 (-16%) | .326 (-27%) | .644 (-22%) | -219.5 |
| 1911 | PHI | NL | 21 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 6 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,470 | 5,296 | 1,011 | 1,537 | 100 | 53 | 7 | 299 | 244 | 1,042 | 521 | .290 | — | — | — | — | 21,321 | ||
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | PHI | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | — | 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 (1471 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 751 | 2655 | 513 | 780 | 5 | 161 | .294 |
| Away | 719 | 2636 | 498 | 757 | 2 | 116 | .287 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | 1 | 2.2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911-09-04 | PHI | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911-09-02 | PHI | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911-08-25 | PHI | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911-08-24 | PHI | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911-08-21 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911-08-19 | PHI | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1911-08-17 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911-08-07 | PHI | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911-08-06 | PHI | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911-08-03 | PHI | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 1 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900-06-25 | PHI | BSN | — | 2.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 14 | 0 | 141 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| OF | 1434 | 746 | 3291 | 188 | 102 | 48 |
| P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | PHI | 1B | 14 | 0 | 141 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 1899 | PHI | OF | 135 | 0 | 313 | 22 | 17 | 8 |
| 1900 | PHI | OF | 139 | 0 | 303 | 19 | 14 | 6 |
| 1900 | PHI | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901 | PHI | OF | 129 | 0 | 283 | 9 | 10 | 2 |
| 1902 | PHI | OF | 138 | 0 | 277 | 23 | 8 | 3 |
| 1903 | PHI | OF | 130 | 0 | 318 | 19 | 13 | 3 |
| 1904 | PHI | OF | 139 | 139 | 321 | 21 | 9 | 4 |
| 1905 | PHI | OF | 147 | 147 | 373 | 27 | 7 | 6 |
| 1906 | PHI | OF | 142 | 141 | 340 | 12 | 5 | 7 |
| 1907 | PHI | OF | 121 | 122 | 274 | 15 | 6 | 4 |
| 1908 | PHI | OF | 6 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908 | PIT | OF | 101 | 98 | 269 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| 1909 | BSN | OF | 76 | 76 | 155 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| 1910 | PHI | OF | 20 | 17 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1911 | PHI | OF | 11 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 1 |
| First Base | 14 |
| Left Field | 68 |
| Center Field | 1356 |
| Right Field | 11 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | PA | 1892, 1893, 1894 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Roy Thomas (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas: the record in brief
The profile opens with Roy Thomas's first major league game on April 14, 1899; the last one listed came on September 4, 1911. Thomas played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1899 through 1911), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1908), and the Boston Doves (1909). Thomas is listed as an outfielder at 150 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Thomas both batted and threw left-handed, per the bio block. Thomas was born on March 24, 1874, in Norristown, PA, USA. Thomas's death is recorded on November 20, 1959, in Norristown, PA, USA. On the record, Roy Thomas was born Roy Allen Thomas.
The batting record for Thomas: 1,470 games, 1,537 hits in 5,296 at bats, and a .290 average, along with 7 home runs, 299 RBI, and 244 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .413 clip and slugging .333, Thomas finished with a .747 OPS. The league as a whole hit .256 across Thomas's seasons, which puts the .290 career mark 13.3% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Roy Thomas
- What years did Roy Thomas play?
- Roy Thomas played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1911.
- Was Roy Thomas a pitcher?
- No. Roy Thomas was a position player (Outfielder), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
- How many home runs did Roy Thomas hit?
- Roy Thomas hit 7 career home runs with 1,537 hits.
- What teams did Roy Thomas play for?
- Roy Thomas played for 3 teams: the Philadelphia Phillies (1899–1908, 1910–1911), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1908), and the Boston Doves (1909).
- What were Roy Thomas's career stats?
- In 1,470 games, Roy Thomas had 1,537 hits, 7 home runs, 299 RBI, 1,011 runs, and 244 stolen bases, with a .290 batting average.
- What position did Roy Thomas play?
- Roy Thomas played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Roy Thomas and how much did he weigh?
- Roy Thomas was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 150 pounds.
- How many home runs did Roy Thomas hit each season?
- Roy Thomas's home runs by season: 0 in 1899, 0 in 1900, 1 in 1901, 0 in 1902, 1 in 1903, 3 in 1904, 0 in 1905, 0 in 1906, 1 in 1907, 1 in 1908, 0 in 1909, 0 in 1910, and 0 in 1911. His most in one season was 3, in 1904.
- What was Roy Thomas's career batting average?
- Roy Thomas batted .290 over his career, with 1,537 hits in 5,296 at bats.
- How many RBI did Roy Thomas have?
- Roy Thomas drove in 299 runs in his career.
- What was Roy Thomas's career ERA?
- Roy Thomas finished with a 3.38 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.
- Is Roy Thomas in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Roy Thomas has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.