Bobby La Rue Thompson (November 3, 1953 – April 25, 2011) was an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, playing mainly at centerfield for the Texas Rangers during the season. Listed at 5' 11", 175 lb., Thompson was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. He was born in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. Following his graduation from

Harding University High School Harding University High School is located at 2001 Alleghany Street, in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was established as a Math, Science, and Technology school in 1992, and added an International Baccalaureate to its program in 1995. The motto o ...

, Thompson became the first African American born in Charlotte to join the Major Leagues. He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 1972 amateur draft, and played six years in the Rangers Minor league system before joining the big team on April 16, 1978. In his only major league season, Thompson served as a reserve outfielder for

Al Oliver Albert Oliver Jr. (born October 14, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and first baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won f ...

Juan Beníquez Juan José Beníquez Torres (born May 13, 1950) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals an ...

and Bobby Bonds, being also used in pinch-hitting and pinch-running duties while appearing in 64 games. He hit for a .225 average (27-for-120), including three doubles, three triples, two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and seven stolen bases, while driving in 12 runs and

scoring Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...

23 times. He played his last game on September 25. In a six-season minor league career, he hit .273 and 29 home runs in 520 games.Baseball Reference – Minor league career
/ref> Thompson died at his residence in Charlotte at the age of 57.

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*, o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Bobby 1953 births 2011 deaths African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Charlotte, North Carolina Gastonia Rangers players Geneva Senators players Lynchburg Rangers players Major League Baseball outfielders Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Petroleros de Poza Rica players Petroleros de Zulia players Richmond Braves players Sacramento Solons players San Antonio Brewers players Texas Rangers players Toledo Mud Hens players Tucson Toros players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people