Carl Thompson

Note: This page is for 1910s pitcher Carl Thompson; for the minor league manager of the same name, click here.

Thomas Carl Thompson
(Tommy)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 170 lb.
• School University of Georgia
• High School Baylor School
• Debut June 5, 1912
• Final Game October 5, 1912
• Born November 7, 1889 in Spring City, TN USA
• Died January 16, 1963 in La Jolla, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Carl Thompson, also called Tommy, was the older brother of Homer Thompson. Both were born in Spring City, TN in southeastern Tennessee and both attended the University of Georgia. Tommy and Homer were there at the same time - Tommy in 1911-1912 and Homer in 1910-1912 - and both broke into the majors with the New York Highlanders in 1912. In fact, they appeared in the same game - Homer was in only one game, in October as a catcher, and Tommy served as a pinch-runner in that game.

He is not to be confused with the later Tommy Thompson, who was a position player.

This Tommy was in eight games, seven as a pitcher and one as a pinch-runner. He was a good hitter for a pitcher, putting up a batting line of .300/.417/.300 in thirteen plate appearances. As a hurler, all his big league appearances were in June and September. All of them were team losses - the Highlanders lost 102 games that year. Tommy mostly pitched in relief, but sometimes it was in very long relief, such as on June 12th when starter Hippo Vaughn ran into trouble early in the game and got only one out, so Tommy pitched all the rest of the game. Also, in the second game on June 26th, starter Jack Quinn was able to go only 1 1/3 innings, so Tommy pitched the rest of the way.

After the majors, Tommy pitched for three years in the minors, mostly with the Atlanta Crackers. In 1914, he struggled a bit with the Jersey City Skeeters, was waived and came back to the Crackers for a second stint, staying for a third year in 1915. One of the sources: Atlanta Constitution 1914-06-12 p10

". . . the hapless Highlanders continue to lose in the ratio of 3 to 1 . . . During the sojourn in the Forest City, a young recruit, Carl Thompson, was given a chance to show what he possessed in the pitching line. The youngster performed most creditably and will likely receive another chance in the near future." - Sporting Life, June 15, 1912, about Thompson's first major league appearance

Related Sites

• Carl Thompson at the SABR Bio Project