Tom Dunbar

Thomas Jerome Dunbar

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 192 lb.
• School Middle Georgia Junior College
• Debut September 7, 1983
• Final Game July 13, 1985
• Born November 24, 1959 in Graniteville, SC USA
• Died March 16, 2011 in Aiken, SC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Tommy Dunbar played a dozen years in the minors and parts of several seasons in the majors for the Texas Rangers.

Dunbar was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 11th round (286th overall) of the 1979 amateur draft. Deciding not to sign, he instead played for Middle Georgia College and was then drafted by the Rangers in the 1st round (25th overall) of the 1980 amateur draft. He signed and began his pro career that summer.

With the Tulsa Drillers in 1982, Dunbar hit .323 with 16 home runs and joined Darryl Strawberry as a Texas League All-Star. The following September, he earned a call up with Texas and got into 12 late season games. He had his finest minor league campaign the next year with the Oklahoma City 89ers, hitting .337 to lead the American Association.

Dunbar played a total of 91 major league games, in which he hit .231 with 3 home runs and 31 RBI, striking out 32 times and walking 23. In the field, he committed 4 errors for a .929 fielding percentage - which is not too great for an outfielder. Dunbar was a part of the Rangers losing a perfect game on September 30th, 1984, going 0-for-3 against California Angels pitcher Mike Witt. Perhaps it was his unlucky number that made his major league career so short; he wore 13 throughout his entire big league career.

After making his last major league appearance with the Rangers in 1985, Dunbar continued to play in the minors through 1991, mostly at the Triple A level. In 1992, he hit .250/.422/.476 for Calze Verdi Casalecchio in Serie A1. Following his playing days, he managed the Princeton Reds in 1993 and coached the Chattanooga Lookouts in 1994.

While recuperating from surgery for prostate cancer, Dunbar passed away in March 2011. He was 51.

Notable Achievements

• South Atlantic League Doubles Leader (1981)

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1993	Princeton Reds	Appalachian League	26-42	9th	Cincinnati Reds

Related Sites

Ex-Baseball Player Dunbar Dies in Aiken