Lee Thomas

James Leroy Thomas
(Mad Dog)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 198 lb.
• High School Beaumont High School (St. Louis)
• Debut April 22, 1961
• Final Game September 27, 1968
• Born February 5, 1936 in Peoria, IL USA
• Died August 31, 2022 in St. Louis, MO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Lee Thomas played eight seasons in the major leagues, hitting 106 home runs. He was one of the top sluggers during the early days of the Los Angeles Angels. He is the last major league player to have collected 9 hits in a doubleheader, doing so for the Angels on September 5, 1961. His son Scott Thomas played in the minors.

He managed the GCL Red Birds in 1973 and the Modesto Reds in 1974. He spent two seasons (1972 and 1983) as a St. Louis Cardinals coach and was Farm Director from 1983 to 1988. Thomas was General Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1988 to 1997. In 2012-2014 he is a Special Assistant to the Executive Vice-President of Baseball Operations for the Baltimore Orioles.

Nicknamed "Mad Dog" for his temper, "Thomas was playing golf with a sportswriter one day in 1961 when he became angered over a poor shot and hurled his driver with such force it tore through a chain-link fence." - from Ross Newhan's The Anaheim Angels: A Complete History.

Notable Achievements

• 1961 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• AL All-Star (1962)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1961, 1962 & 1965)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1962)

Preceded by Woody Woodward

Philadelphia Phillies General Manager 1988-1997

Succeeded by Ed Wade

Records Held

• Hits, doubleheader, 9, 9/5/61 (tied)

Related Sites

• Lee Thomas at the SABR Bio Project
• Top 100 Angels page