Bobby Thigpen

Robert Thomas Thigpen

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 195 lb.
• School Seminole Community College, Mississippi State University
• High School Aucilla Christian Academy
• Debut August 6, 1986
• Final Game April 27, 1994
• Born July 17, 1963 in Tallahassee, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bobby Thigpen was signed as a 4th round selection in the 1985 amateur draft by the Chicago White Sox and scout Ken Stauffer.

In 1990, Chicago White Sox closer Thigpen set a single season record with 57 saves. The record held for 18 seasons, until broken by Francisco Rodriguez in 2008. By 1993, he had lost his closer role to Roberto Hernández, and after being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies halfway through the 1993 season, he never saved another major league game. He did appear in two NLCS and two World Series games for the Phillies, however, the only post-season appearances of his career.

Part of the reason for his lack of Major League success after that was that he went to Japan for two years. In 1994, he was 2-2 with 12 saves and a 1.93 for the Daiei Hawks and the next year, in 1995, he was 1-1 with 8 saves and a 1.96 ERA. The injuries that began to plague him in the majors continued and limited him to 53 games in two years with Daiei.

He is currently the White Sox career leader in saves, with 201. In 2007, he became manager of the Bristol White Sox in the Appalachian League. Thigpen was a coach for the Winston-Salem Dash in 2009-2011 and Birmingham Barons in 2012. In 2013, he was named bullpen coach of the parent White Sox, staying until the end of the 2016 season.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (1990)
• AL Reliever of the Year Award Winner (1990)
• AL Rolaids Relief Award Winner (1990)
• AL Games Pitched Leader (1990)
• AL Saves Leader (1990)
• 30 Saves Seasons: 4 (1988-1991)
• 40 Saves Seasons: 1 (1990)
• 50 Saves Seasons: 1 (1990)

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
2007	Bristol White Sox	Appalachian League	25-43	8th	Chicago White Sox
2008	Bristol White Sox	Appalachian League	34-30	4th	Chicago White Sox

Further Reading

• Rick Sorci: "Baseball Profile: Bobby Thigpen of the White Sox", Baseball Digest, November 1990, p. 39. [1]