Shag Thompson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1914-1916)
Shag Thompson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1916 for the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 3 seasons. In 48 career games, he hit .203 with 16 hits and 4 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
- 5'8" / 165 lb
- Died
- 1/7/1990 in Black Mountain, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1914-06-08
- Last Game
- 1916-05-17
Full name: James Alfred Thompson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 79 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 20 | .203 | .357 | .253 | .610 | 0 |
Career AVG .203 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 19.6% below league average.
Career OBP .357 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — +12.0% above league average.
Career SLG .253 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 24.1% below league average.
Career OPS .610 vs. league average .652 across their career seasons — 6.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | PHA | AL | 16 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | .172 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | PHA | AL | 17 | 33 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1916 | PHA | AL | 15 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 48 | 79 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 20 | .203 | — | — | — | — | 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 (50 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 32 | 49 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 3 | .184 |
| Away | 18 | 30 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | .233 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916-05-17 | PHA | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-05-12 | PHA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-05-10 | PHA | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1916-05-08 | PHA | MIN | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1916-05-02 | PHA | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1916-05-01 | PHA | NYY | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1916-04-29 | PHA | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1916-04-28 | PHA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1916-04-27 | PHA | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-04-26 | PHA | MIN | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 3 |
| Center Field | 19 |
| Right Field | 2 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | NC | 1913 |
Shag Thompson: the record in brief
Shag Thompson played a first major league game on June 8, 1914 and a last one on May 17, 1916. Thompson spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Philadelphia Athletics. Listed as an outfielder, Thompson threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Thompson is listed at 165 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame. The birth record reads April 29, 1893, in Haw River, NC, USA. Thompson's death is recorded on January 7, 1990, in Black Mountain, NC, USA. The bio lists the given name James Alfred.
The batting record for Thompson: 48 games, 16 hits in 79 at bats, and a .203 average; the totals also include 4 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .357 clip and slugging .253, Thompson finished with a .610 OPS. Over the seasons Thompson played, league hitters batted .252; the .203 career figure is 19.6% below that. No season topped the 11 hits of 1915. The best average in the busiest seasons was .333, in 1915.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shag Thompson
- What years did Shag Thompson play?
- Shag Thompson played in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1916.
- Was Shag Thompson a pitcher?
- No. Shag Thompson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Shag Thompson hit?
- Shag Thompson hit 0 career home runs with 16 hits.
- What teams did Shag Thompson play for?
- Shag Thompson played for one team, the Philadelphia Athletics (1914–1916).
- What were Shag Thompson's career stats?
- In 48 games, Shag Thompson had 16 hits, 4 RBI, 12 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .203 batting average.
- What position did Shag Thompson play?
- Shag Thompson played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Shag Thompson and how much did he weigh?
- Shag Thompson was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 165 pounds.
- What was Shag Thompson's career batting average?
- Shag Thompson batted .203 over his career, with 16 hits in 79 at bats.
- How many RBI did Shag Thompson have?
- Shag Thompson drove in 4 runs in his career.
- Is Shag Thompson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Shag Thompson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.