Jason Dolph Thompson (born July 6, 1954) is a former

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), ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

, and the current owner and operator of Jason Thompson Baseball, which offers baseball instruction in

Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct Pontiac Township. It is home to Oakland University ...

. He threw and batted left-handed.

Detroit Tigers

Thompson was drafted by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in the fifteenth round of the

1972 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The Montreal Expos had perhaps their best draft in franc ...

, but chose instead to play ball at Cal-State Northridge. He was then selected in the fourth round of the

1975 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. Many baseball draft experts consider the 1975 draft to be the weakest in MLB history. Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign N ...

by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. In his first professional season, , he batted .324 with 10

home runs 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 ...

and 38

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

for the Southern League's

Montgomery Rebels The Montgomery Rebels was the name of several American minor league baseball franchises representing Montgomery, Alabama, playing in various leagues between and . ''Rebels'' was the predominant nickname of the Montgomery teams, but it was not the ...

. With regular first baseman Dan Meyer batting .192 with only two RBIs, the Tigers gave the job to Thompson early into the season. He responded by going four-for-five in his third game as a major leaguer. Despite batting just .218, Thompson led the Tigers with 17 home runs and was third on the club with 54 RBIs. He also earned a reputation as one of the top fielding first basemen in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

. Following the season, he was named to the Topps Rookie All-Star team. In , Thompson was batting .276 with 12 home runs and 65 RBIs at the All-Star break to gain selection to the AL squad, but he did not appear in the game. He was named to the All-Star team again a year later, and flew out to George Foster in his only

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...

. In 1979, in a nationally televised

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

game on June 16, Thompson hit two home runs in the game, a 4–2 loss. Thompson initially hit a foul ball over the roof in foul territory in right field completely out of Tiger Stadium off

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

' right-hander

Dave Frost Carl David Frost (born November 17, 1952) is an American former professional baseball player and a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The , right-hander was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 18th round of the 1974 Major League Base ...

who later gave up both home runs. Thompson also hit several other home runs over the right field roof of Tiger stadium during his time in Detroit. In four plus seasons with the Tigers, Thompson batted .256 with 98 home runs and 354 RBIs.

California Angels

After getting off to a slow start in , Thompson was traded from the Tigers to the Angels for

Al Cowens Alfred Edward Cowens, Jr. (October 25, 1951 – March 11, 2002) was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. From through , Cowens played for the Kansas City Royals (1974–79), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California Angels (1980), Detroit Ti ...

on May 27. The Angels had a shortage of power hitters due to injuries to

Don Baylor Don Edward Baylor (June 28, 1949 – August 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and manager. During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close to home plate (" crowding ...

and

Brian Downing Brian Jay Downing (born October 9, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from to , originally as a catcher before converting to an outfielder and designated hitter later in his career. Downin ...

at the time. Thompson assumed first base duties upon his acquisition by the Angels with

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

Rod Carew Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman, second baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins ...

shifting to

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

, however, they traded positions by the end of the season. Thompson batted over .300 for the Angels, but was traded to the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

during

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

the following season for

Mickey Mahler Michael James Mahler (born July 30, 1952) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during eight seasons at the major league level for the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, Texa ...

and

Ed Ott Nathan Edward Ott (born July 11, 1951), nicknamed "Otter", is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1974 to 1981, most notably as a member of the Pittsbur ...

Trade to the Yankees

Immediately after acquiring Thompson, the Pirates dealt him to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

for

Jim Spencer James Lloyd Spencer (July 30, 1947 – February 10, 2002) was a Major League Baseball first baseman. Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the left-handed Spencer was recognized for his excellent fielding ability, but also served in later years as a d ...

and minor league pitchers Greg Cochran and Fred Tolliver, however, commissioner

Bowie Kuhn Bowie Kent Kuhn (; October 28, 1926 – March 15, 2007) was an American lawyer and sports administrator who served as the fifth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from February 4, 1969, to September 30, 1984. He served as legal counsel for Ma ...

voided the deal. The Yankees were to pay Spencer's salary according to the original deal; which put the transaction over the $400,000 limit the commissioner had established for any transaction.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Now part of a team he was never intended to be part of, Thompson got off to a slow start with the Pirates, batting .171 with seven home runs and seventeen RBIs in the first half of the strike shortened season. His hitting improved substantially in the second half of the 1981 season, as he batted .321 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs. Thompson continued his hot hitting into , hitting thirteen home runs and batting .354 through the month of May to earn the third All-Star nod of his career. For the season, Thompson batted .284 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs. He became the third player in Pirates history to reach the 100-RBI, 100-walk plateau, finishing fifth in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

in OPS with a .902 mark. On June 26, , Thompson hit four home runs in a doubleheader against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

, tying

Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Follow ...

's 37-year franchise record for most home runs in a doubleheader. Thompson remained with the Pirates through , batting .259 with 93 home runs and 354 RBIs in his five seasons with the club. During

Spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, he was dealt to the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

for two minor leaguers. He lost his starting job to rookie

Andrés Galarraga Andrés José Padovani Galarraga (; born June 18, 1961) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos (– and ), St. Louis Cardinals (), Colorado Rockies (–), At ...

shortly into the season, and was released on June 30. Thompson was unable to continue his career due to knee injuries.

Career stats

While with the Tigers, Thompson earned the nickname "Roof Top" from his ability to hit balls onto the Tiger Stadium

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

roof. On two occasions he powered the ball over the roof and completely out of the stadium. A steady first baseman, he also led each league in

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

in 1977 and .

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Jason 1954 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American League All-Stars Baseball players from California Cal State Northridge Matadors baseball players California Angels players Detroit Tigers players Evansville Triplets players Major League Baseball first basemen Montgomery Rebels players Montreal Expos players National League All-Stars People from Hollywood, Los Angeles Pittsburgh Pirates players