Roy Thomas

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1977-1987)

Roy Thomas was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1987 for the Houston Astros, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Seattle Mariners, a span of 11 seasons. Across 182 career appearances, he went 20-11 with a 3.82 ERA and 289 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 264.4.

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

W–L 20–11
ERA 3.82
WHIP 1.39
SO 289
Pitcher PIV 264.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'5" / 215 lb
Born
6/22/1953 in Quantico, VA, USA
MLB Debut
1977-09-21
Last Game
1987-08-04

Full name: Roy Justin Thomas

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Career Pitching Statistics

Roy Thomas — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
20 11 182 13 0 0 7 419.1 387 178 33 196 289 3.82 264.4

Career ERA 3.82 vs. league average 3.93 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Roy Thomas (b. 1953) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1977 HOU NL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6.1 5 2 3 4 2.84 — 0.0
1978 SLN NL 1 1 16 1 0 0 3 28.1 21 12 16 16 3.81 3.69 (-3%) 382.9
1979 SLN NL 3 4 26 6 0 0 1 77.0 66 25 24 44 2.92 4.00 (+27%) -80.5
1980 SLN NL 2 3 24 5 0 0 0 55.0 59 29 25 22 4.75 3.84 (-24%) -477.0
1983 SEA AL 3 1 43 0 0 0 1 88.2 95 34 32 77 3.45 3.87 (+11%) 2852.8
1984 SEA AL 3 2 21 1 0 0 1 49.2 52 29 37 42 5.26 3.81 (-38%) -2280.2
1985 SEA AL 7 0 40 0 0 0 1 93.2 66 35 48 70 3.36 3.89 (+14%) -18.6
1987 SEA AL 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 20.2 23 12 11 14 5.23 4.29 (-22%) -115.0
Career · 8 seasons 20 11 182 13 0 0 7 419.1 387 178 196 289 3.82 — 264

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

Roy Thomas — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
182 34 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 16 .118 .143 .147 .290 0

Career AVG .118 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 55.0% below league average.

Career OBP .143 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 56.2% below league average.

Career SLG .147 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 62.6% below league average.

Career OPS .290 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 59.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Roy Thomas — 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
1977 HOU NL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 SLN NL 16 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .250 — — — — 0.0
1979 SLN NL 26 17 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 .059 — — — — 0.0
1980 SLN NL 24 13 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 .154 — — — — 0.0
1983 SEA AL 43 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 SEA AL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 SEA AL 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 SEA AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 182 34 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 16 .118 — — — — 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 (364 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Roy Thomas — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home90160401.250
Away92180000.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Roy Thomas — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home90220.0203911021483.72
Away92199.118487941413.93

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Roy Thomas — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1987-08-04 SEAOAK — 2.0100030
1987-07-31 SEALAA — 1.0333100
1987-07-25 SEABOS — 2.0322110
1987-07-20 SEAMIL — 1.1444200
1987-07-17 SEADET — 1.0000020
1987-07-09 SEABOS W 4.2500210
1987-07-04 SEADET — 5.1411530
1987-06-28 SEAKCR — 3.1322042
1985-10-04 SEACHW — 6.1100040
1985-10-01 SEACLE — 1.0033310

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Roy Thomas — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 182 13 36 54 0 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Roy Thomas — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1977 HOU P 4 0 0 1 0 0
1978 SLN P 16 1 1 7 0 0
1979 SLN P 26 6 10 13 0 1
1980 SLN P 24 5 7 10 0 1
1983 SEA P 43 0 7 8 0 0
1984 SEA P 21 1 4 7 0 1
1985 SEA P 40 0 7 7 0 1
1987 SEA P 8 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Roy Thomas — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 182

Salary History

Roy Thomas's recorded salaries total $165,000 over 1 season, in 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Thomas's career ran from 1977 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985 and 1987.

Roy Thomas — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1986 SEA AL $165,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $165,000

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Roy Thomas (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    John Urrea
    17-18, 3.74 ERA
  2. 95
    Bill Simas
    18-19, 3.83 ERA
  3. 95
    Mike Armstrong
    19-17, 4.10 ERA
  4. 94
    Oscar Villarreal
    24-15, 3.86 ERA
  5. 93
    Joey McLaughlin
    29-28, 3.85 ERA
  6. 89
    Clay Hensley
    28-34, 4.00 ERA

Roy Thomas: the record in brief

According to the bio, Roy Thomas debuted on September 21, 1977 and played a final game on August 4, 1987. The team column moves through the Houston Astros (1977), the St. Louis Cardinals (1978 to 1980), and the Seattle Mariners (1983 to 1987). Born on June 22, 1953, in Quantico, VA, USA, Thomas is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Thomas's listed size is 6 feet, 5 inches and 215 pounds. The given name on file is Roy Justin Thomas.

Thomas pitched in 182 games, starting 13, and finished with a 20-11 record and 3.82 ERA. Thomas had 289 strikeouts. Thomas's 3.82 ERA was close to the 3.93 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 7, in 1985. Thomas struck out 77 batters in 1983, a career high. 1979 was Thomas's sharpest full season, a 2.92 ERA against the league's 4.00. By Pitcher PIV, Baseball Data Hub's measure of run prevention relative to each season's league, Thomas's career adds up to 264.4.

Frequently Asked Questions about Roy Thomas

What years did Roy Thomas play?
Roy Thomas played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1987.
Was Roy Thomas a pitcher?
Yes. Roy Thomas pitched in the major leagues, recording 20 wins and 289 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Roy Thomas hit?
Roy Thomas hit 0 career home runs with 4 hits.
What teams did Roy Thomas play for?
Roy Thomas played for 3 teams: the Houston Astros (1977), the St. Louis Cardinals (1978–1980), and the Seattle Mariners (1983–1985, 1987).
What were Roy Thomas's career stats?
In 182 games, Roy Thomas went 20-11 with a 3.82 ERA, 289 strikeouts, 419.1 innings pitched, and 7 saves.
How much did Roy Thomas earn in his career?
Roy Thomas's recorded salaries total $165,000 over 1 season, in 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Thomas's career ran from 1977 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985 and 1987.
What was Roy Thomas's salary?
Roy Thomas's recorded salary was $165,000 in 1986.
What position did Roy Thomas play?
Roy Thomas played primarily as a pitcher, 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 6 feet 5 inches and 215 pounds.
What was Roy Thomas's career ERA?
Roy Thomas finished with a 3.82 career ERA, going 20-11 with 289 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Roy Thomas have?
Roy Thomas recorded 289 career strikeouts.
Is Roy Thomas in the Hall of Fame?
No. Roy Thomas has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.