Milt Thompson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1984-1996)
Milt Thompson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1996 for 6 teams, including the Atlanta Braves, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,359 career games, he hit .274 with 1,029 hits, 47 home runs, and 357 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 / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1984-09-04
- Last Game
- 1996-07-28
Full name: Milton Bernard Thompson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,359 | 3,761 | 491 | 1,029 | 156 | 37 | 47 | 357 | 214 | 336 | 635 | .274 | .335 | .372 | .708 | -56 |
Career AVG .274 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .335 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .372 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 6.1% below league average.
Career OPS .708 vs. league average .724 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | ATL | NL | 25 | 99 | 16 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 11 | .303 | .259 (+17%) | .322 (+15%) | .384 (-3%) | .707 (+5%) | 136.4 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | 73 | 182 | 17 | 55 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 36 | .302 | .257 (+18%) | .323 (+5%) | .390 (-7%) | .714 (-2%) | -42.3 |
| 1986 | PHI | NL | 96 | 299 | 38 | 75 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 23 | 19 | 26 | 62 | .251 | .257 (-3%) | .325 (-5%) | .395 (-14%) | .720 (-10%) | -430.6 |
| 1987 | PHI | NL | 150 | 527 | 86 | 159 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 43 | 46 | 42 | 87 | .302 | .262 (+15%) | .331 (+6%) | .415 (+2%) | .746 (+4%) | 406.6 |
| 1988 | PHI | NL | 122 | 378 | 53 | 109 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 17 | 39 | 59 | .288 | .254 (+13%) | .317 (+11%) | .377 (-5%) | .695 (+2%) | 271.0 |
| 1989 | SLN | NL | 155 | 545 | 60 | 158 | 28 | 8 | 4 | 68 | 27 | 39 | 91 | .290 | .254 (+14%) | .319 (+6%) | .375 (+5%) | .694 (+5%) | 548.3 |
| 1990 | SLN | NL | 135 | 418 | 42 | 91 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 30 | 25 | 39 | 60 | .218 | .257 (-16%) | .324 (-10%) | .385 (-15%) | .710 (-13%) | -822.9 |
| 1991 | SLN | NL | 115 | 326 | 55 | 100 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 34 | 16 | 32 | 53 | .307 | .255 (+20%) | .323 (+14%) | .384 (+15%) | .708 (+14%) | 897.5 |
| 1992 | SLN | NL | 109 | 208 | 31 | 61 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 39 | .293 | .255 (+15%) | .322 (+8%) | .377 (+7%) | .699 (+8%) | 320.1 |
| 1993 | PHI | NL | 129 | 340 | 42 | 89 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 44 | 9 | 40 | 57 | .262 | .265 (-1%) | .332 (+3%) | .403 (-13%) | .735 (-6%) | -252.6 |
| 1994 | PHI | NL | 87 | 220 | 29 | 60 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 7 | 23 | 28 | .273 | .269 (+1%) | .338 (+3%) | .424 (-19%) | .763 (-9%) | -259.3 |
| 1994 | HOU | NL | 9 | 21 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .286 | — | — | — | — | -259.3 |
| 1995 | HOU | NL | 92 | 132 | 14 | 29 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 4 | 14 | 37 | .220 | .266 (-18%) | .337 (-12%) | .417 (-20%) | .755 (-16%) | -364.4 |
| 1996 | LAN | NL | 48 | 51 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | .118 | .269 (-56%) | .340 (-38%) | .426 (-68%) | .767 (-55%) | -464.3 |
| 1996 | COL | NL | 14 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .067 | — | — | — | — | -464.3 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 1,359 | 3,761 | 491 | 1,029 | 156 | 37 | 47 | 357 | 214 | 336 | 635 | .274 | — | — | — | — | -780 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1359 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 686 | 1879 | 272 | 527 | 24 | 204 | .280 |
| Away | 673 | 1882 | 219 | 502 | 23 | 153 | .267 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-07-28 | COL | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1996-07-24 | COL | NYN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-23 | COL | NYN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996-07-20 | COL | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-16 | COL | SFG | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-13 | COL | SDP | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-11 | COL | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996-07-05 | COL | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-04 | COL | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-03 | COL | SFG | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1063 | 868 | 2168 | 46 | 37 | 10 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | ATL | OF | 25 | 23 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 1985 | ATL | OF | 49 | 36 | 78 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1986 | PHI | OF | 89 | 69 | 212 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1987 | PHI | OF | 146 | 124 | 354 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1988 | PHI | OF | 112 | 96 | 278 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 1989 | SLN | OF | 147 | 139 | 348 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| 1990 | SLN | OF | 116 | 105 | 232 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| 1991 | SLN | OF | 91 | 76 | 207 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 1992 | SLN | OF | 45 | 38 | 74 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1993 | PHI | OF | 106 | 79 | 162 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994 | PHI | OF | 79 | 55 | 119 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994 | HOU | OF | 6 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | HOU | OF | 34 | 16 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1996 | LAN | OF | 17 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | COL | OF | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 397 |
| Center Field | 518 |
| Right Field | 182 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | LAN | NL | $300,000 |
| 1995 | HOU | NL | $525,000 |
| 1994 | PHI | NL | $1,375,000 |
| 1993 | PHI | NL | $1,475,000 |
| 1993 | SLN | NL | $300,000 |
| 1992 | SLN | NL | $1,616,667 |
| 1991 | SLN | NL | $1,516,667 |
| 1990 | SLN | NL | $866,667 |
| 1989 | SLN | NL | $505,000 |
| 1988 | PHI | NL | $240,000 |
| 1987 | PHI | NL | $140,000 |
| 1986 | PHI | NL | $95,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $8,955,001 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard University | Washington | DC | 1978 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1987 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 4.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Milt Thompson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Milt Thompson: the record in brief
September 4, 1984 and July 28, 1996 bracket Milt Thompson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Atlanta Braves (1984 to 1985), the Philadelphia Phillies (1986 to 1994), the St. Louis Cardinals (1989 to 1992), the Houston Astros (1994 through 1995), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1996), and the Colorado Rockies (1996). Thompson played primarily as an outfielder and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Born on January 5, 1959, in Washington, DC, USA, Thompson was listed at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. The bio lists the given name Milton Bernard.
The batting record for Thompson: 1,359 games, 1,029 hits in 3,761 at bats, and a .274 average, along with 47 home runs, 357 runs batted in, and 214 stolen bases. Thompson got on base at a .335 rate and slugged .372 (.708 OPS). The .274 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. The highest hit total in a season was 159, in 1987. The RBI column peaks at 68 in 1989. Thompson stole 46 bases in 1987, the most of any season listed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Milt Thompson
- What years did Milt Thompson play?
- Milt Thompson played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1996.
- Was Milt Thompson a pitcher?
- No. Milt Thompson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Milt Thompson hit?
- Milt Thompson hit 47 career home runs with 1029 hits.
- What was Milt Thompson's career batting average?
- Milt Thompson batted .274 over his career, with 1,029 hits in 3,761 at bats.
- How many RBI did Milt Thompson have?
- Milt Thompson drove in 357 runs in his career.
- Is Milt Thompson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Milt Thompson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.