Bobby Thomson

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1946-1960)

Bobby Thomson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1960 for 5 teams, including the New York Giants, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,779 career games, he hit .270 with 1,705 hits, 264 home runs, and 1,026 RBI. Bobby Thomson was a 3-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 11,387.

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

AVG .270
HR 264
RBI 1,026
H 1,705
OPS .794
PIV 11,387
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 180 lb
Born
10/25/1923 in Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
Died
8/16/2010 in Savannah, GA, USA
MLB Debut
1946-09-09
Last Game
1960-07-17
Awards
3× All-Star

Full name: Robert Brown Thomson

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Career Batting Statistics

Bobby Thomson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,779 6,305 903 1,705 267 74 264 1,026 38 559 804 .270 .332 .462 .794 11,387

Career AVG .270 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .332 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .462 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — +19.6% above league average.

Career OPS .794 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — +10.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bobby Thomson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1946 NY1 NL 18 54 8 17 4 1 2 9 0 4 5 .315 .256 (+23%) .328 (+10%) .358 (+50%) .687 (+31%) 234.5
1947 NY1 NL 138 545 105 154 26 5 29 85 1 40 78 .283 .262 (+8%) .336 (avg) .376 (+35%) .712 (+18%) 1755.9
1948 NY1 NL 138 471 75 117 20 2 16 63 2 30 77 .248 .263 (-6%) .340 (-13%) .379 (+6%) .719 (-3%) -365.3
1949 NY1 NL 156 641 99 198 35 9 27 109 10 44 45 .309 .262 (+18%) .343 (+3%) .384 (+35%) .727 (+20%) 2319.7
1950 NY1 NL 149 563 79 142 22 7 25 85 3 55 45 .252 .265 (-5%) .346 (-6%) .401 (+12%) .747 (+3%) 241.5
1951 NY1 NL 148 518 89 152 27 8 32 101 5 73 57 .293 .260 (+12%) .336 (+14%) .385 (+46%) .721 (+31%) 3264.4
1952 NY1 NL 153 608 89 164 29 14 24 108 5 52 74 .270 .252 (+7%) .326 (+1%) .369 (+30%) .696 (+17%) 1746.0
1953 NY1 NL 154 608 80 175 22 6 26 106 4 43 57 .288 .264 (+9%) .335 (+1%) .397 (+19%) .733 (+10%) 1164.9
1954 ML1 NL 43 99 7 23 3 0 2 15 0 12 29 .232 .261 (-11%) .333 (-5%) .390 (-17%) .723 (-12%) -163.5
1955 ML1 NL 101 343 40 88 12 3 12 56 2 34 52 .257 .258 (-1%) .332 (-4%) .393 (+5%) .726 (+1%) -10.4
1956 ML1 NL 142 451 59 106 10 4 20 74 2 43 75 .235 .258 (-9%) .331 (-9%) .397 (+3%) .728 (-3%) -260.2
1957 ML1 NL 41 148 15 35 5 3 4 23 2 8 27 .236 .257 (-8%) .323 (-12%) .391 (avg) .715 (-5%) -157.7
1957 NY1 NL 81 215 24 52 7 4 8 38 1 19 39 .242 .257 (-6%) .323 (-7%) .391 (+8%) .715 (+1%) -157.7
1958 CHN NL 152 547 67 155 27 5 21 82 0 56 76 .283 .257 (+10%) .324 (+8%) .394 (+18%) .719 (+14%) 1490.4
1959 CHN NL 122 374 55 97 15 2 11 52 1 35 50 .259 .256 (+1%) .323 (-1%) .392 (+2%) .715 (+1%) 14.8
1960 BOS AL 40 114 12 30 3 1 5 20 0 11 15 .263 .255 (+3%) .323 (avg) .387 (+13%) .711 (+7%) 111.5
1960 BAL AL 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 — — — — 111.5
Career · 17 seasons 1,779 6,305 903 1,705 267 74 264 1,026 38 559 804 .270 — — — — 11,340

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

Bobby Thomson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 21 1 5 1 0 0 2 5 0 .238

Playoff Batting by Year

Bobby Thomson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1951 WS NY1 6 21 1 5 1 0 0 2 5 0 .238

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1776 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Bobby Thomson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home8723013445790129504.262
Away9043281456910133518.277

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bobby Thomson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1960-07-17 BALCHWL 100000000
1960-07-06 BALNYYL 400000002
1960-07-05 BALBOSW 100000001
1960-06-26 BOSCHWL 500000001
1960-06-21 BOSKC1L 101000200
1960-06-18 BOSCLEL 000000010
1960-06-16 BOSDETL 200000010
1960-06-11 BOSCHWL 502100201
1960-06-11 BOSCHWW 101000000
1960-06-10 BOSCHWL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bobby Thomson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 1 10 0 2 2
2B 9 0 27 20 5 4
3B 184 6 200 361 38 27
OF 1506 580 3563 111 74 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bobby Thomson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1946 NY1 3B 16 0 18 25 3 0
1947 NY1 2B 9 0 27 20 5 4
1947 NY1 OF 127 0 330 12 7 2
1948 NY1 OF 125 0 313 10 10 2
1949 NY1 OF 156 0 488 10 9 4
1950 NY1 OF 149 0 394 15 9 5
1951 NY1 3B 69 0 90 136 14 13
1951 NY1 OF 77 0 168 3 6 1
1952 NY1 3B 91 0 82 184 17 13
1952 NY1 OF 63 0 152 3 1 0
1953 NY1 OF 154 0 391 16 7 0
1954 ML1 OF 26 23 45 3 1 2
1955 ML1 OF 91 86 182 5 6 0
1956 ML1 3B 3 3 5 10 3 0
1956 ML1 OF 136 115 257 7 7 0
1957 ML1 OF 38 37 78 2 1 0
1957 NY1 3B 1 1 0 3 0 0
1957 NY1 OF 71 51 124 2 1 0
1958 CHN 3B 4 2 5 3 1 1
1958 CHN OF 148 146 353 13 4 3
1959 CHN OF 116 96 223 9 3 4
1960 BOS 1B 1 1 10 0 2 2
1960 BOS OF 27 25 65 1 2 1
1960 BAL OF 2 1 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bobby Thomson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 1
Second Base 9
Third Base 184
Left Field 509
Center Field 984
Right Field 63

Award Voting History

Bobby Thomson — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1952 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 17.0 336 0
1951 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 62.0 336 1
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 25.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Bobby Thomson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ben Oglivie
    .273 avg, 235 HR
  2. 95
    Frank Thomas
    .266 avg, 286 HR
  3. 94
    Gus Bell
    .281 avg, 206 HR
  4. 93
    Johnny Callison
    .264 avg, 226 HR
  5. 90
    Hunter Pence
    .279 avg, 244 HR
  6. 89
    George Bell
    .278 avg, 265 HR

Bobby Thomson: the record in brief

September 9, 1946 and July 17, 1960 bracket Bobby Thomson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the New York Giants (1946 to 1957), the Milwaukee Braves (1954 to 1957), the Chicago Cubs (1958 through 1959), the Boston Red Sox (1960), and the Baltimore Orioles (1960). Born on October 25, 1923, in Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, Thomson is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 180 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. Thomson died on August 16, 2010, in Savannah, GA, USA. The given name on file is Robert Brown Thomson.

Thomson's career batting table shows 1,779 games, 6,305 at bats and 1,705 hits, a .270 average, along with 264 homers, 1,026 runs batted in, and 38 stolen bases. Thomson got on base at a .332 rate and slugged .462 (.794 OPS). Against a .260 league average for those years, Thomson's .270 average was near the norm. In OPS terms, Thomson's .794 stands 10.5% above the league's .719.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bobby Thomson

What years did Bobby Thomson play?
Bobby Thomson played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1960.
Was Bobby Thomson a pitcher?
No. Bobby Thomson was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Bobby Thomson hit?
Bobby Thomson hit 264 career home runs with 1,705 hits.
What teams did Bobby Thomson play for?
Bobby Thomson played for 5 teams: the New York Giants (1946–1953, 1957), the Milwaukee Braves (1954–1957), the Chicago Cubs (1958–1959), the Boston Red Sox (1960), and the Baltimore Orioles (1960).
Did Bobby Thomson win an MVP award?
No. Bobby Thomson did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Bobby Thomson win?
Bobby Thomson was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
What were Bobby Thomson's career stats?
In 1,779 games, Bobby Thomson had 1,705 hits, 264 home runs, 1,026 RBI, 903 runs, and 38 stolen bases, with a .270 batting average.
What position did Bobby Thomson play?
Bobby Thomson played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bobby Thomson and how much did he weigh?
Bobby Thomson was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Bobby Thomson hit each season?
Bobby Thomson's home runs by season: 2 in 1946, 29 in 1947, 16 in 1948, 27 in 1949, 25 in 1950, 32 in 1951, 24 in 1952, 26 in 1953, 2 in 1954, 12 in 1955, 20 in 1956, 12 in 1957, 21 in 1958, 11 in 1959, and 5 in 1960. His most in one season was 32, in 1951.
What was Bobby Thomson's career batting average?
Bobby Thomson batted .270 over his career, with 1,705 hits in 6,305 at bats.
How many RBI did Bobby Thomson have?
Bobby Thomson drove in 1,026 runs in his career.
Is Bobby Thomson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bobby Thomson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Bobby Thomson make?
Bobby Thomson was selected to 3 All-Star Games.