Walter Thomas
Right Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Walter Thomas was a right fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago American Giants, the Detroit Stars, and the Kansas City Monarchs. In 118 career games, he hit .277 with 98 hits, 1 home runs, and 38 RBI. He also pitched in 25 games, going 4-10 with a 7.92 ERA. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 156.
- 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
- Right Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 170 lb
- Died
- 9/28/1983 in Big Rapids, MI, USA
Full name: Walter Lewis Thomas
Negro Leagues Career Statistics
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 118 | 354 | 55 | 98 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 38 | 6 | 21 | 1 | .277 | .326 | .356 | .682 | 156 |
Career AVG .277 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .356 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 6.0% below league average.
Career OPS .682 vs. league average .715 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | CAG | NN2 | 16 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .269 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1936 | CAG | IND | 7 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1937 | DTS | NAL | 7 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1937 | CAG | NAL | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1944 | KCM | NAL | 19 | 62 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .226 | .261 (-14%) | .325 (-13%) | .357 (-10%) | .683 (-11%) | -118.3 |
| 1945 | KCM | NAL | 50 | 186 | 30 | 58 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 5 | 12 | 0 | .312 | .260 (+19%) | .328 (+10%) | .354 (+12%) | .683 (+11%) | 339.2 |
| 1946 | CAG | NAL | 16 | 52 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .269 | .256 (+5%) | .328 (-2%) | .358 (-14%) | .687 (-8%) | -64.9 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 118 | 354 | 55 | 98 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 38 | 6 | 21 | 1 | .277 | — | — | — | — | 156 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | CAG | NN2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50.1 | 86 | 48 | 17 | 16 | 8.58 | 4.35 (-97%) | 334.3 |
| 1936 | CAG | IND | 1 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 3.86 | 4.59 (+16%) | 689.5 |
| 1937 | DTS | NAL | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 | 24 | 17 | 2 | 6 | 18.36 | — | 0.0 |
| 1937 | CAG | NAL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 3.75 | 4.34 (+14%) | 116.1 |
| 1945 | KCM | NAL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 40.50 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 4 | 10 | 25 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 | 164 | 88 | 36 | 47 | 7.92 | — | 1,140 | ||
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 (122 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 52 | 149 | 26 | 48 | 1 | 9 | .322 |
| Away | 45 | 109 | 12 | 27 | 0 | 1 | .248 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 12 | 69.0 | 86 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 2.35 |
| Away | 13 | 54.2 | 91 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 1.98 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-09-03 | CAG | CVB | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-08-29 | CAG | IN9 | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-08-02 | CAG | BIR | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-07-15 | CAG | MEM | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-07-14 | CAG | MEM | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-07-08 | CAG | BIR | W | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-07-07 | CAG | BIR | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-07-04 | CAG | CVB | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-07-04 | CAG | CVB | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-07-01 | CAG | IN9 | L | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-05-29 | KCM | CAG | — | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937-08-24 | CAG | KCM | — | 6.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-08-17 | CAG | KCM | L | 6.0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 1937-08-01 | DT2 | CAG | L | 8.0 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 1937-07-14 | DT2 | CAG | L | 2.1 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1937-07-10 | DT2 | KCM | L | 4.0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-06-26 | DT2 | CAG | — | 6.0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 1937-06-19 | DT2 | IN6 | W | 9.0 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-06 | DT2 | BIR | L | 3.2 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1937-05-31 | DT2 | SSA | — | 0.1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| OF | 86 | 77 | 107 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| P | 25 | 13 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 2 |
| SS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | CAG | OF | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935 | CAG | P | 11 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 2 |
| 1936 | CAG | P | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | DTS | 3B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937 | DTS | P | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | DTS | SS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937 | CAG | P | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944 | KCM | OF | 17 | 15 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1945 | KCM | OF | 50 | 49 | 65 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1945 | KCM | P | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | CAG | OF | 15 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 25 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Left Field | 6 |
| Center Field | 16 |
| Right Field | 64 |
Walter Thomas: the record in brief
Walter Thomas's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1935 to 1946. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago American Giants (1935 to 1946), the Detroit Stars (1937), and the Kansas City Monarchs (1944 through 1945). The bio lists Thomas as a right fielder who threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds. Thomas was born on October 22, 1911, in Mobile, AL, USA. Thomas died on September 28, 1983, in Big Rapids, MI, USA. Walter Thomas was the playing name; the full given name is Walter Lewis.
The batting record for Thomas: 118 games, 98 hits in 354 at bats, and a .277 average, adding 1 home run and 38 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .326 and .356 give Thomas a career OPS of .682. Against a .270 league average for those years, Thomas's .277 average was near the norm. 1945 produced Thomas's most hits, 58 of them for the Kansas City Monarchs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Thomas
- Was Walter Thomas a pitcher?
- Both. Walter Thomas pitched in 25 games, going 4-10 with a 7.92 ERA, but spent most of his career as a Right Fielder.
- How many home runs did Walter Thomas hit?
- Walter Thomas hit 1 career home run with 98 hits.
- What teams did Walter Thomas play for?
- Walter Thomas played for 3 teams: the Chicago American Giants (1935–1937, 1946), the Detroit Stars (1937), and the Kansas City Monarchs (1944–1945).
- What were Walter Thomas's career stats?
- In 118 games, Walter Thomas had 98 hits, 1 home runs, 38 RBI, 55 runs, and 6 stolen bases, with a .277 batting average. As a pitcher, in 25 games, he went 4-10 with a 7.92 ERA, 47 strikeouts, and 100.0 innings pitched.
- What position did Walter Thomas play?
- Walter Thomas played primarily as a right fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Walter Thomas and how much did he weigh?
- Walter Thomas was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Walter Thomas hit each season?
- Walter Thomas's home runs by season: 0 in 1935, 0 in 1936, 0 in 1937, 0 in 1944, 1 in 1945, and 0 in 1946. His most in one season was 1, in 1945.
- What was Walter Thomas's career batting average?
- Walter Thomas batted .277 over his career, with 98 hits in 354 at bats.
- How many RBI did Walter Thomas have?
- Walter Thomas drove in 38 runs in his career.
- What was Walter Thomas's career ERA?
- Walter Thomas finished with a 7.92 career ERA, going 4-10 with 47 strikeouts.
- Is Walter Thomas in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Walter Thomas has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.