Robby Thompson

Second baseman

Born: May 10, 1962 (age 54)
West Palm Beach, Florida

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

MLB debut

April 8, 1986, for the San Francisco Giants

Last MLB appearance

September 22, 1996, for the San Francisco Giants

MLB statistics

Batting average

.257

Home runs

119

Runs batted in

458

Teams

San Francisco Giants (1986–1996)

Career highlights and awards

Robert Randall Thompson (born May 10, 1962) is an American professional baseball coach and former college and professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (1986–1996) as the second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. During the Giants' resurgence in the late 1980s, he was known as a team leader who played the game with a gritty determination. Thompson most recently served as the bench coach for the Seattle Mariners. He served as the team's interim manager for about a month in 2013 when Eric Wedge was recovering from a stroke.

Thompson was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. He attended Forest Hill Community High School in West Palm Beach, where he played high school baseball for the Forest Hill Falcons. Thompson received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in 1983 where he played for coach Jack Rhine's Florida Gators baseball team. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 1983 Major League Baseball draft, and decided to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility. In 1985 while playing for the Shreveport Captains in the Texas League, he posted a .261 batting average along with 9 home runs and was named to the league All-Star team.

Thompson made his major league debut with the Giants on April 8, 1986 at the age of 24. In June he became the first player in major league history to be caught stealing four times in one game (three occurred during attempted hit and run plays). Despite his rocky start, Thompson ended the season with a .271 batting average as the Giants leadoff hitter and provided steady defense. He won the The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award and finished second to Todd Worrell in the 1986 National League Rookie of the Year Award. Thompson had to undergo surgery at the end of the season to have cartilage removed from his right knee.

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