Don Thompson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1949-1954)
Don Thompson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1954 for the Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 6 seasons. In 217 career games, he hit .218 with 67 hits, 1 home runs, and 19 RBI.
- 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
- 6'0" / 185 lb
- Died
- 9/28/2009 in Asheville, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1949-04-24
- Last Game
- 1954-06-22
Full name: Donald Newlin Thompson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 217 | 307 | 52 | 67 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 4 | 31 | 32 | .218 | .296 | .254 | .550 | -813 |
Career AVG .218 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 16.8% below league average.
Career OBP .296 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 12.2% below league average.
Career SLG .254 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 34.7% below league average.
Career OPS .550 vs. league average .727 across their career seasons — 24.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | BSN | NL | 7 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | BRO | NL | 80 | 118 | 25 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 12 | .229 | .260 (-12%) | .336 (-9%) | .385 (-34%) | .721 (-22%) | -398.4 |
| 1953 | BRO | NL | 96 | 153 | 25 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 13 | .242 | .264 (-8%) | .335 (-8%) | .397 (-26%) | .733 (-18%) | -414.5 |
| 1954 | BRO | NL | 34 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | .040 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 217 | 307 | 52 | 67 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 4 | 31 | 32 | .218 | — | — | — | — | -813 | ||
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 (218 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 104 | 160 | 26 | 36 | 0 | 8 | .225 |
| Away | 114 | 147 | 26 | 31 | 1 | 11 | .211 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-06-22 | BRO | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954-06-20 | BRO | CHC | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1954-06-19 | BRO | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-06-16 | BRO | ATL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-06-13 | BRO | CIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-06-10 | BRO | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-06-08 | BRO | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-06-07 | BRO | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-06-06 | BRO | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-06-05 | BRO | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 137 |
| Center Field | 17 |
| Right Field | 27 |
Don Thompson: the record in brief
April 24, 1949 and June 22, 1954 bracket Don Thompson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Braves (1949) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1951 through 1954). Thompson is listed as an outfielder at 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds. Thompson batted and threw left-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is December 28, 1923, in Swepsonville, NC, USA. Thompson died on September 28, 2009, in Asheville, NC, USA. The given name on file is Donald Newlin Thompson.
Thompson collected 67 hits in 307 at bats across 217 games, good for a .218 batting average, along with 1 home run and 19 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .296 and .254 give Thompson a career OPS of .550. The league as a whole hit .262 across Thompson's seasons, which puts the .218 career mark 16.8% below average. By OPS the gap is 24.3% below league average (.550 against .727). No season topped the 37 hits of 1953. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .242 in 1953, did not top the league's .264.
Frequently Asked Questions about Don Thompson
- What years did Don Thompson play?
- Don Thompson played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1954.
- Was Don Thompson a pitcher?
- No. Don Thompson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Don Thompson hit?
- Don Thompson hit 1 career home runs with 67 hits.
- What was Don Thompson's career batting average?
- Don Thompson batted .218 over his career, with 67 hits in 307 at bats.
- How many RBI did Don Thompson have?
- Don Thompson drove in 19 runs in his career.
- Is Don Thompson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Don Thompson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.