Derrel Thomas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Derrel Thomas |
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Thomas in 1978
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| Infielder / Outfielder | |||
| Born: January 14, 1951 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 14, 1971, for the Houston Astros | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 5, 1985, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .249 | ||
| Home runs | 43 | ||
| Runs batted in | 370 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Derrel Osbon Thomas (born January 14, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman and utility player. His career in MLB lasted from 1971 to 1985.
Thomas was a key member of the 1981 World Series winning Los Angeles Dodgers team. He was known for his versatility, playing every defensive position except pitcher at least once. After his playing career, Thomas also became a minor league manager.
Early Life and Baseball Start
Derrel Thomas grew up in Los Angeles, California. He went to Susan Miller Dorsey High School. This school was famous for producing many major-league baseball players. Some of these players included Sparky Anderson and Chili Davis.
In January 1969, the Houston Astros chose Thomas as their first pick in the MLB draft. That year, he played 69 games for two teams in the Astros' minor league system. He had a great batting average of .302, which was his career high. By 1971, Thomas made his debut in Major League Baseball. He played six games for the Houston Astros.
Major League Baseball Career
Derrel Thomas's Major League career lasted until 1985. During this time, he played for eight different teams. Most of these teams were located on the West Coast of the United States.
One of his best seasons was in 1975. He played for the San Francisco Giants and hit for a .276 batting average. That year, he also achieved career highs with 48 runs batted in and 28 stolen bases.
Thomas was part of several trades during his career. On December 3, 1971, he was traded from the Astros to the San Diego Padres. This trade also involved Bill Greif and Mark Schaeffer going to the Padres, in exchange for Dave Roberts. Later, on December 6, 1974, he was traded from the Padres to the San Francisco Giants. In this trade, the Padres received Tito Fuentes and Butch Metzger.
Derrel Thomas was known for his energetic playing style. Dusty Baker, a teammate on the Dodgers, admired Thomas. Padres manager Roger Craig noted that Thomas "plays hard and he's a showman-type player." After the 1985 season, Thomas looked for another major-league team but did not sign with one. He briefly played for an independent team called the San Jose Bees.
After Playing Baseball
After his time as a player, Derrel Thomas became a coach and manager. He coached at Los Angeles City College for a short period. In 1987, he became the first manager of the Boise Hawks. At that time, the Hawks were an independent team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League.
In June 1987, the Boise Hawks played against the Bend Bucks. The Bucks were managed by Mel Roberts. This game was special because it was the first time in professional baseball (outside of Negro league baseball) that two Black managers faced each other in a regular-season game.
Later, in December 1991, Thomas was hired as a baseball coach at his old high school, Dorsey High School. As of 2009, Derrel Thomas was still involved with baseball. He worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as a representative for their Dodgers Legend Bureau.
