The baseball world is in mourning following the death of the legendary Frank Thomas, who was among the original members of the New York Mets, at the age of 93. Thomas died in Pittsburgh, as reported by Mike Puma of the New York Post.
The former outfielder, first baseman and third baseman — an “Original Met” from the franchise’s inception — died Monday, the team announced. Thomas was 93 and living in an assisted care facility in Pittsburgh.
Before he became a legendary figure for the Mets franchise, Thomas started playing in the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates inked him to a deal in 1947 and four years later, made his MLB debut in 1951. In his first season in the majors, Frank Thomas hit .264 with two home runs and 16 RBI across 157 plate appearances and 39 games.
In 1954, he earned his first All-Star honors when he batted .298 — which would turn out to be his career-best — to go with 23 home runs and 94 RBI. Thomas was traded by the Pirates to the Cincinnati Redlegs after that season. Then the Redlegs shipped him to the Chicago Cubs following the end of the 1958 campaign. After stints with the Milwaukee Braves, Frank Thomas began his time with the Mets in the 1962 season at age 33.
In his first season with the Mets, Thomas smashed 34 home runs with 94 RBI and a triple slash line of .266/.329/.496. In three years with the Mets, Thomas smacked 52 home runs to along with 173 RBI in 342 games.
Thomas finished his career in 1966 with the Cubs.
In 16 total years in the big leagues, Frank Thomas racked up 286 home runs and 962 RBI with a career batting average of .266.
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