Fred Thomas (minors)

Fred S. Thomas

• Bats Left, Throws unknown
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.

• Born December 26, 1923 in Windsor, ON CAN
• Died May 20, 1981 in Windsor, ON CAN

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Fred Thomas, from Windsor, ON, was inducted in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021 for his role as a pioneer of integration in minor league baseball. A gifted multi-sport athlete who also excelled in basketball and football, he first played for the Detroit Senators, a barnstorming negro team, in 1947 before moving to Organized Baseball with the Farnham Pirates of the Provincial League in 1948. The Pirates, and the league as a whole, were well known as a destination for black baseball players who wanted to play in a strong minor league. He hit .351 in 58 games as an outfielder, catching the attention of the Cleveland Indians who signed him before the end the year and sent him to the Wilkes-Barre Indians of the Eastern League. He was the first black player in that league, laying 12 games and hitting .268. He returned to Farnham for another season in 1949 (statistics are unavailable) and continued to play baseball and basketball for a number of years after that, including in the Inter-County Baseball League.