Thomasville, North Carolina Thomasville is a city in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 27,183 at the 2020 census. The city was once notable for its furniture industry, as were its neighbors High Point and Lexington. This Piedmont Triad comm ...

was home to several minor league baseball teams from 1937–1969. The Thomasville Chair Makers joined the

North Carolina State League The North Carolina State League was a "Class D" league in Minor League Baseball. The original version of the league existed from 1913–1917 as the successor to the Carolina Association. The second version of the league was established in 1937 ...

in 1937 and became the Thomasville Tommies in 1939. They were an affiliate of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

from 1940–1942. No team was fielded during World War II. The Thomasville Dodgers (an affiliate of the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californ ...

) took the field in 1945. In 1948, the team name was changed to reflect both Thomasville and

High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph, Davidson, and Forsyth counties. High Point is North Carolina's only city that ex ...

. The new name, the High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms operated continuously through 1958, switching to the

Tar Heel League The Tar Heel League was a mid-20th century Class D level professional minor baseball league, based in North Carolina in the United States. It operated during the full seasons of , and , and from the opening of the season through June 21, . The ...

in 1953 and then the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 un ...

in 1954.Holaday, Chris (2016). Professional Baseball in North Carolina: An Illustrated City-by-city History, 1901-1996. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. . No team existed until 1965 when the team reformed as the Thomasville Hi-Toms for two seasons in the

Western Carolinas League Portion of plaque displaying likeness of John Henry Moss at Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown, Maryland The Western Carolinas League was a Class D (1948–52; 1960–62) and a low Class A (1963–79) full-season league in American minor league base ...

. After one more season, they returned as a

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

affiliate for 1968 and 1969 in the Carolina League. Since 1999, a new version of the team has played in the Coastal Plain League as a collegiate summer baseball team.

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball ...

alumni *

Eddie Mathews Edwin Lee Mathews (October 13, 1931 – February 18, 2001) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman. He played 17 seasons for Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952–1966); Houston Astros (1967) and Detroit Tigers (1967–68 ...

(1948) Inducted, 1978 Notable alumni *

Curt Flood Curtis Charles Flood (January 18, 1938 – January 20, 1997) was an American professional baseball player and activist. He was a center fielder who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Redlegs, St. Louis Cardinals ...

(1956) 3 x MLB All-Star *

Dallas Green Dallas Green may refer to: * Dallas Green (baseball) (1934–2017), American baseball player and manager * Dallas Green (musician) Dallas Michael John Albert Green (born September 29, 1980) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record ...

(1957) Manager: 1980 World Series Champion

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

Jack McKeon Jack Aloysius McKeon (; born November 23, 1930), nicknamed "Trader Jack," is an American former Major League Baseball manager and front-office executive. In , at age 72, he won a World Series as manager of the Florida Marlins. Two full seas ...

(1968, MGR) Manager: 2003 World Series Champion

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

Jim Rooker James Phillip Rooker (born September 23, 1942) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and broadcaster. A left-hander, Rooker pitched for the Detroit Tigers (1968), Kansas City Royals (1969–1973) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1974–1980). Early ...

(1969) *

Al Rosen Albert Leonard Rosen (February 29, 1924 – March 13, 2015), nicknamed "Flip" and "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American baseball third baseman and right-handed slugger for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball for ten seasons in the ...

(1942) 4 x MLB All-Star; 1953 AL Most Valuable Player *

Gene Stephens Glen Eugene Stephens (January 20, 1933 – April 27, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for all or portions of a dozen seasons between 1952 and 1964 for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Or ...

(1951) * Sammy Taylor (1950)

References

External links