Baseball History Podcast

Welcome to Baseball History Podcast, featuring baseball biographies.  I’m your announcer Bob Wright.

This is game 04 of the 2011 baseball season.

In the first inning let’s take a look at This Week in Baseball History for the 4 week of January.

January 30

1959 The Reds trade catcher Smoky Burgess, pitcher Harvey Haddix and third baseman Don Hoak to the Pirates for third baseman Frank Thomas, utility player Jim Pendleton, right-hander Whammy Douglas, outfielder Johnny Powers and cash.

Frank Joseph Thomas was born June 11, 1929 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

A strapping slugger and dead-pull hitter who crowded the plate, Thomas was considered the successor of Ralph Kiner.  He was considered a rebel and much of his career was spent bickering with management over his monetary value.
During the 1950s his demands were considered selfish but by today’s standards they would probably be considered reasonable.  His negotiations with Branch Rickey became legendary around the Pittsburgh.  For instance, in 1955, Thomas was the lone holdout on a club that finished in last place, 38-1/2 games behind Rickey’s old Brooklyn Dodgers.  Rickey could not believe that this young man would have the audacity to challenge a $2,000 raise.  He offered his slugging outfielder $15,000 for the 1955 season.  Frank sought a salary of $25,000 after enjoying a solid season in 1954 when he belted 23 home runs, drove in 98 runs with a career-high batting average of .298.  On top of that, he gathered 24 Most Valuable Player votes that year on a team that lost 94 games.

What Thomas should have realized was that he was dealing with the same general manager who was quoted in informing future Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, after he won his seventh consecutive home run title in 1952, “We finished in last with you, we can finish last without you.”

Frank Thomas was a homegrown product and grew up in the shadow of Forbes Field.  Before his playing career he was a seminary student studying for the priesthood but could not shake the desire for the game of baseball.

Thomas’ professional career began in 1947; he was assigned to play with Tallahassee of the Class D Georgia-Florida League. In 1948 the team would make the playoffs only to lose to Waycross, three games to one. Frank played in the outfield, made the all-star team and led the league in RBIs with 132.

In 1951, Thomas was invited to spring training with the Pirates but they sent him to New Orleans where he was selected to play in the all-star game.  His play that season earned him his first late-season audition with the parent club.  He appeared in 39 games and smacked two home runs.

The next year he went back to New Orleans for some more seasoning.  His season at New Orleans proved to be a monster of a year.  He led the league in homers with 35, scored 112 runs and drove in 131 while batting .303.  Frank was brought up briefly for six games and managed only two singles.
Thomas made only $6,000 in New Orleans, but when he made the Pirates in 1953, he requested an additional $1,000 be attached to his salary.  General Manager Branch Rickey’s response was, “I can’t pay major league salaries to minor league players.”  Fred Haney, the Pirates’ skipper, assured the youngster that he would get every opportunity to prove himself at the big league level.  Thomas responded with 30 home runs and 102 runs batted in.
In 1947, the Pirates had obtained Hank Greenberg, the 1946 American League home run champ, to go along with their other slugger Ralph Kiner.  They then tailored Forbes Field to the two right-handed power hitters.

A double bullpen, 30 feet wide by 200 feet long, significantly cut the distances in left field.  The area, known as “Greenberg Gardens” in 1947 and then as “Kiner’s Korner” from 1948 to 1953, reduced the left-field line from 365 feet to 335 feet and the left-center power alley from 406 feet to 355 feet.

Thomas become a regular after the Pirates traded Kiner to the Cubs.  When Kiner departed, so did “Kiner’s Corner.”

Thomas later figured that had the wall remained, his homer totals would have doubled and most likely he would have finished his career with more than 500 home runs.  The wall was highly unpopular with the Pirates’ pitching staff.  Pittsburgh’s star pitcher Murray Dickson was not enamored of the wall and was not sad to see it removed.  He was frequently the leader in home runs allowed by a pitcher and he felt that his home park was greatly responsible.  Dickson once said, “With some justification, the ‘Greenberg Gardens’ was largely responsible for my record.”
After the 1953 season, Thomas went back to Rickey to discuss salary, especially after his successful season at the major league level.  “I’m a major leaguer now and want to be paid accordingly.”  Rickey asked him how much he wanted and Frank said $15,000.  This didn’t set well with the Rickey, who paused, thought about it and suggested, “You go along with my offer of $12,500 and if you have another good year, I’ll take good care of you.”  While it was against Thomas’ better judgment, he accepted.

In 1954, Thomas, after playing his second full season, made some observations about being a big leaguer — especially playing in front of the fans from his hometown.  To him, there were both advantages and disadvantages.  The fans expected to see more out of him and although he was a native, it did not mean unconditional love.

In Danny Peary’s book, We Played the Game, he shared an example of this: Frank did not drink in a city full of shot-and-a-beer drinkers.  When he walked to Forbes Field for a game, he had to pass several local drinking establishments that he would not stop in.  This presented a problem, as some of guys that he grew up with would taunt him, “Are you too good for us now?”  So Frank would go in and have a 7-Up or glass of milk.  “Then if I made an error at the park, someone would point out that I was in a bar before the game,” Thomas said.

In 1954, Thomas played 153 games in the outfield, batting .298, with 23 home runs and 94 Runs Batted In.  He went to Rickey expecting a substantial increase for 1955 but was offered $15,000 and was then compared negatively with Ralph Kiner.  “If you are going to compare me, give me the same opportunity,” Thomas replied.  “Put back Greenberg Gardens for me and I’ll hit you 50 homers because I can tattoo the scoreboard.”  Thomas refused to sign Rickey’s contract and became a holdout.  Rickey warned him, “Go ahead and hold out.  I’ll keep you out of baseball for five years.”  Rickey’s attitude was typical for general managers of the era.

Rickey always claimed he would never divulge anyone’s salary in public but one afternoon, Frank turned on the television and a reporter claimed that “If Frank Thomas doesn’t get a $25,000 contract, he won’t sign.”

Thomas succeeded in getting the offer up to $18,000 for the 1955 season but this still didn’t make him very happy, citing that he had a family to feed and if the Pirates want an unsatisfied player, he would sign for that amount.  Unfortunately, Thomas got sick with the flu and dysentery during spring training causing him to lose 17 pounds over three weeks.  1955 proved to be his one bad season for the Pirates: 25 home runs, 72 Runs Batted In and a batting average of .245.

In 1956, Joe Brown became the new general manager of the Pirates.  That season Lee Walls played a lot of left field, so Thomas moved to third base at the request of manager Bobby Bragan.  Bragan appreciated his athleticism and remarked, “He was our long ball man, but he was a team player and had great hands.”  Thomas played in 157 games and batted .282 with 25 home runs and 80 Runs Batted In.

In 1957, Thomas played in 151 games that were split between first base, third base and left field.  Thomas enjoyed a decent season despite playing several positions.  His year-end totals were a .290 average, 23 home runs and 89 Runs Batted In.  Brown raised his salary to $25,000 for 1958.

The Pirates slugger was worth the investment.  Frank had his best year of his career.  He ended the season with 35 home runs and 109 Runs Batted In.

He enjoyed the new California venues of Seals Stadium in San Francisco and the Los Angeles Coliseum.  Frank especially enjoyed the new home of the Dodgers and loved taking aim at the Coliseum’s short left-field fence.  He boldly predicted that if he played in Los Angeles, he could challenge Babe Ruth’s single-season record.

That season, he started the All Star Game at third, which he claimed was his proudest accomplishment, since the players chose the starters.  That year the fans voted him the most popular Pirates player.  Frank loved playing half of his games in Pittsburgh and seemed to finally be comfortable playing in Pittsburgh!

The comfortable feeling came to an end on January 30, 1959 when the Cincinnati Reds traded for Thomas.

Before Thomas signed his contract, he informed Reds General Manager Gabe Paul that he had a bad hand and it was not healing properly.  Paul was not worried; Frank asked for a salary of $40,000, which he got.  The hand really bothered him and affected his play.  The pain would bring tears to his eyes anytime he applied pressure.  Both of the Reds’ managers that year, Mayo Smith and Fred Hutchinson, had him on the bench a lot.  A doctor would later discover that tumors were growing on the nerves of his hand.  This did not save him for being traded for the second time in one year.  On December 6, 1959, he was traded to the Cubs.

In 1960, Frank had his hand operated on.  He had only a fair season with the Cubs: a .238 batting average, 21 homers and 64 Runs Batted In.  When Lou Boudreau replaced Charlie Grimm as manager during the season, he stopped using Thomas as a starter.  Thomas approached Boudreau, asking him if he would be used only against lefthanded pitchers.  The manager claimed that the decision came from the front office, but when Frank threatened to ask the front office himself; Lou admitted that it was his decision.  Thomas lost respect for his manager.  The manager and player had a couple of run-ins that left Thomas feeling that Boudreau was trying to show him up.
When the club was in Los Angeles, John Holland, the Cubs’ GM, asked to see Frank. He offered him $1,000 if Frank would work with and coach the younger players. Thomas refused, but the GM stuck the money in Thomas’ shirt pocket. Two weeks before the end of the season, Holland gave him an additional $2,000. Suspecting something, Frank told management, “If my contract for the coming year includes a cut in my salary, you are going to hear from me.” He was right; his salary was cut by $8,000. Frank wrote a ten-page letter to Holland explaining how he felt the Cubs were trying to buy him out. Holland offered to take back the $3,000 and not cut his salary, which he did. Thomas gained a tremendous amount of respect for the GM; feeling Holland was fair and someone who he could talk to.

Frank Thomas’ next stop in his career was with Milwaukee. On May 9, 1961, as he was on the team bus heading to a game with the Braves, he was informed that he would be switching uniforms when the team arrived.  He walked into the dressing room and was greeted by his new manager, Charlie Dressen, who told him that he would be the regular left fielder.  Thomas performed well in a lineup with Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Joe Adcock.  He enjoyed a productive year, batted .284 and smacked 25 homers.  Braves general manager John McHale informed him that he wanted Thomas to come back for 1962.  That November, he was traded to the newly formed New York Mets.
At 33 years of age, Frank had one of his best offensive years for the expansion Mets in 1962.  Frank described the makeup of his new team: “We had a veteran ball club, with many players from winning traditions.”  He, along with his teammates felt that they would have a fair record.  Unfortunately, the pitching quality did not match the team’s hitting capability.  This team would lose a record-setting 120 games.

Thomas loved playing in New York.  The fans were great.  They were hungry for a National League team ever since the Dodgers and Giants left for California in the 1950s.  Said Thomas, “I had fun on the Mets,” whose fans took them into their hearts and forgave everything.
Frank had several power outbursts; during one three-game period in 1962, Thomas hit six home runs.  Since he was the Mets’ power hitter, he was brushed back often and during one game on April 29, 1962, he was hit twice in one inning.  The day before, he combined with Charlie Neal and Gil Hodges in hitting consecutive home runs.

In 1963, while he was still productive, hitting .260 with 15 home runs, he got caught in a roster squeeze as the Mets gave playing time to young players.  He became expendable and a good prospect for a contending team. In 1964 such a deal happened.

On August 7, 1964, Frank was traded to the Phillies.  It would mark the first time that Thomas played for a contender.  After the trade, Philadelphia expanded a half-game lead to 6 ½ games.  But that September 8 he fractured his right thumb sliding back into second base.  He played the rest of the game and collected two more hits.  But after 39 games, in which he batted .294, his season was over — and so would be, in one of the most inglorious collapses in major league history, the Phillies’ drive for the pennant.

On July 3, 1965, an incident of pregame horseplay occurred around the batting cage between Frank and Richie Allen before a contest with the Cincinnati Reds.  Several versions have been given concerning the altercation.  One states that Thomas swung a bat at Allen during a disagreement.  Others claim that Thomas used racial slurs.  Whatever happened, following the game, the Phillies released Thomas.  He would move three more times after his Philadelphia stopover, playing 23 games for the Astros and 15 more with the Braves that year and another five with the Cubs in 1966 before hanging up his spikes for good.
He once summed up his attitude about life: “I always felt if you gave 100 percent at whatever you did, you didn’t have anything to be ashamed of.”

A large part of this biography comes from the SABR Baseball Biography Project written by Bob Hurte.  It can be found online at http://bioproj.sabr.org

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Well, that’s it for today’s Baseball History Podcast.  I’ll see you later at the ballpark.