Forrest Thompson

David Forrest Thompson

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 195 lb.

• Debut April 26, 1948
• Final Game June 5, 1949
• Born March 3, 1918 in Mooresville, NC USA
• Died February 26, 1979 in Charlotte, NC USA

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Biographical Information

Left-hander Forrest Thompson spent fourteen active seasons in professional baseball from 1937 to 1951. It took Forrest ten seasons before he got a crack at the major leagues. He spent time with eight different teams during these years, from class D to AA and put together seven double-digit winning seasons on the way. He had a great year in 1945 going 24-5 with the Mooresville Braves of the class D North Carolina State League. His 24 wins and 2.13 ERA, along with 278 strike-outs, all led the league. His break-out year came in 1947 when he threw a 16-9 record and a 3.57 ERA at the Southern Association teams while pitching for the Atlanta Crackers.

After being drafted on November 10, 1947 by the Washington Senators from the Crackers in the 1947 Rule V Draft, he made his debut for the Senators on April 26, 1948. He spent the entire 1948 season with the Senators, chalking up a 6-10 record and a 3.84 ERA while appearing in 46 games. He was back with the Senators in 1949, going 1-3 in nine appearances. Thompson threw his last pitch in the big leagues on June 5, of this same year. This gave him a 7-13 record and a 3.90 ERA in 55 games during his run in The Show.

Thompson spent the remainder of the 1949 season with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League and added another double-digit win year to his stats with an 11-8 record and a 3.16 ERA. He would spend two more seasons in the game, below his standards, and called it a career after the 1951 season at the age of 33. This ended his 13 seasons in the minors with a 133-94 record while appearing in 351 games and pitching 1,818 innings.

After baseball, he managed the men's department at the J C Penney store in Statesville, NC for 19 years. He died on February 26, 1979, after being in declining health for two years. David Forrest Thompson was 60 years of age.