David Thomas (March 22, 1905 – July 27, 1968), nicknamed "Showboat", was an American first baseman in the Negro leagues from 1929 to 1946.
Dave Thomas | |
---|---|
First baseman | |
Born: Mobile, Alabama | March 22, 1905|
Died: July 27, 1968 Mobile, Alabama | (aged 63)|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
Negro league baseball debut | |
1929, for the Birmingham Black Barons | |
Last appearance | |
1946, for the New York Cubans | |
Teams | |
|
A native of Mobile, Alabama, Thomas is considered one of the greatest defensive first basemen in Negro leagues history.[1] In 1945 at age 40, he and Terris McDuffie were given a tryout by Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers, two years prior to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the baseball color line.[2]
Thomas died in Mobile in 1968 at age 63.
References
edit- ^ Dan Tylicki (November 11, 2011). "25 Greatest Showmen in MLB History". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ Chris Lamb (April 14, 2015). "Two who tried out before Jackie Robinson". espn.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference and Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats and Seamheads