Sam Thompson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1885-1906)
Sam Thompson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1885 to 1906 for the Detroit Wolverines, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 22 seasons. In 1,410 career games, he hit .331 with 1,988 hits, 126 home runs, and 1,308 RBI. Sam Thompson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 29,910.
- 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
- 6'2" / 207 lb
- Died
- 11/7/1922 in Detroit, MI, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1885-07-02
- Last Game
- 1906-09-10
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1974 (Veterans)
Full name: Samuel Luther Thompson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,410 | 5,998 | 1,261 | 1,988 | 343 | 161 | 126 | 1,308 | 232 | 452 | 234 | .331 | .384 | .505 | .890 | 29,910 |
Career AVG .331 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — +25.1% above league average.
Career OBP .384 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +16.3% above league average.
Career SLG .505 vs. league average .356 across their career seasons — +42.1% above league average.
Career OPS .890 vs. league average .686 across their career seasons — +29.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | DTN | NL | 63 | 254 | 58 | 77 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 0 | 16 | 22 | .303 | .244 (+24%) | .287 (+20%) | .325 (+54%) | .613 (+38%) | 1383.9 |
| 1886 | DTN | NL | 122 | 503 | 101 | 156 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 89 | 13 | 35 | 31 | .310 | .246 (+26%) | .302 (+17%) | .331 (+34%) | .634 (+26%) | 2228.1 |
| 1887 | DTN | NL | 127 | 545 | 118 | 203 | 29 | 23 | 10 | 166 | 22 | 32 | 19 | .372 | .270 (+38%) | .331 (+26%) | .373 (+51%) | .705 (+39%) | 4031.3 |
| 1888 | DTN | NL | 56 | 238 | 51 | 67 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 40 | 5 | 23 | 10 | .282 | .238 (+18%) | .290 (+21%) | .319 (+46%) | .610 (+34%) | 1219.7 |
| 1889 | PHI | NL | 128 | 533 | 103 | 158 | 36 | 4 | 20 | 111 | 24 | 36 | 22 | .296 | .263 (+12%) | .334 (+4%) | .357 (+37%) | .691 (+21%) | 1994.0 |
| 1890 | PHI | NL | 132 | 549 | 116 | 172 | 41 | 9 | 4 | 102 | 25 | 42 | 29 | .313 | .260 (+20%) | .336 (+10%) | .351 (+26%) | .687 (+18%) | 1808.3 |
| 1891 | PHI | NL | 133 | 554 | 108 | 163 | 23 | 10 | 7 | 90 | 29 | 52 | 20 | .294 | .254 (+16%) | .331 (+10%) | .343 (+19%) | .675 (+15%) | 1508.1 |
| 1892 | PHI | NL | 153 | 609 | 109 | 186 | 28 | 11 | 9 | 104 | 28 | 59 | 19 | .305 | .244 (+25%) | .316 (+19%) | .327 (+32%) | .644 (+26%) | 2929.4 |
| 1893 | PHI | NL | 131 | 600 | 130 | 222 | 37 | 13 | 11 | 126 | 18 | 50 | 17 | .370 | .279 (+32%) | .356 (+19%) | .379 (+40%) | .735 (+30%) | 3567.5 |
| 1894 | PHI | NL | 102 | 451 | 114 | 187 | 32 | 28 | 13 | 149 | 27 | 42 | 13 | .415 | .309 (+34%) | .379 (+23%) | .435 (+60%) | .814 (+43%) | 3938.4 |
| 1895 | PHI | NL | 119 | 538 | 131 | 211 | 45 | 21 | 18 | 165 | 27 | 31 | 11 | .392 | .296 (+32%) | .361 (+19%) | .399 (+64%) | .761 (+42%) | 4426.4 |
| 1896 | PHI | NL | 119 | 517 | 103 | 154 | 28 | 7 | 12 | 100 | 12 | 28 | 13 | .298 | .290 (+3%) | .354 (-4%) | .387 (+16%) | .741 (+7%) | 521.1 |
| 1897 | PHI | NL | 3 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1898 | PHI | NL | 14 | 63 | 14 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 1 | .349 | .270 (+29%) | .333 (+16%) | .347 (+65%) | .680 (+41%) | 354.0 |
| 1906 | DET | AL | 8 | 31 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .226 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 1,410 | 5,998 | 1,261 | 1,988 | 343 | 161 | 126 | 1,308 | 232 | 452 | 234 | .331 | — | — | — | — | 29,910 | ||
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 (22 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 13 | 57 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 13 | .281 |
| Away | 9 | 37 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 6 | .351 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906-09-10 | DET | CHW | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1906-09-09 | DET | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1906-09-08 | DET | CHW | L | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906-09-04 | DET | SLA | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906-09-03 | DET | SLA | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906-09-03 | DET | SLA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1906-09-01 | DET | SLA | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906-08-31 | DET | SLA | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1898-05-11 | PHI | WSN | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-05-10 | PHI | WSN | W | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| OF | 1409 | 8 | 2167 | 283 | 172 | 61 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | DTN | OF | 63 | 0 | 84 | 24 | 14 | 0 |
| 1886 | DTN | OF | 122 | 0 | 194 | 29 | 13 | 11 |
| 1887 | DTN | OF | 127 | 0 | 217 | 24 | 24 | 7 |
| 1888 | DTN | OF | 56 | 0 | 86 | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| 1889 | PHI | OF | 128 | 0 | 173 | 19 | 21 | 7 |
| 1890 | PHI | OF | 132 | 0 | 170 | 29 | 13 | 5 |
| 1891 | PHI | OF | 133 | 0 | 234 | 32 | 18 | 6 |
| 1892 | PHI | OF | 153 | 0 | 223 | 28 | 17 | 7 |
| 1893 | PHI | 1B | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1893 | PHI | OF | 131 | 0 | 171 | 17 | 14 | 3 |
| 1894 | PHI | OF | 102 | 0 | 161 | 12 | 5 | 2 |
| 1895 | PHI | OF | 118 | 0 | 186 | 31 | 13 | 2 |
| 1896 | PHI | OF | 119 | 0 | 231 | 28 | 7 | 11 |
| 1897 | PHI | OF | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898 | PHI | OF | 14 | 0 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906 | DET | OF | 8 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 3 |
| Center Field | 2 |
| Right Field | 1404 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Sam Thompson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Sam Thompson
Sam Thompson: the record in brief
July 2, 1885 and September 10, 1906 bracket Sam Thompson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Detroit Wolverines (1885 to 1888), the Philadelphia Quakers (1889), the Philadelphia Phillies (1890 to 1898), and the Detroit Tigers (1906). Thompson, born on March 5, 1860, in Danville, IN, USA, is listed as an outfielder and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The bio gives 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds. Thompson's death is recorded on November 7, 1922, in Detroit, MI, USA. On the record, Sam Thompson was born Samuel Luther Thompson.
Thompson finished with 1,988 hits from 5,998 at bats in 1,410 games, which works out to .331, along with 126 homers, 1,308 RBI, and 232 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .384 and .505 give Thompson a career OPS of .890. Measured against the leagues Thompson played in, the .331 career average compares with a .265 league average over the same seasons, 25.1% above the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Thompson
- What years did Sam Thompson play?
- Sam Thompson played in Major League Baseball from 1885 to 1906.
- Was Sam Thompson a pitcher?
- No. Sam Thompson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Sam Thompson hit?
- Sam Thompson hit 126 career home runs with 1988 hits.
- Is Sam Thompson in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Sam Thompson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
- What was Sam Thompson's career batting average?
- Sam Thompson batted .331 over his career, with 1,988 hits in 5,998 at bats.
- How many RBI did Sam Thompson have?
- Sam Thompson drove in 1,308 runs in his career.