Rich Thompson (outfielder)
Encyclopedia
Richard Charles Thompson (born April 23, 1979 in Reading, Pennsylvania
) is a professional baseball outfielder
who is currently playing in the Philadelphia Phillies
organization. He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays
in the 6th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft
. Thompson played his first professional season with their Low-A Queens Kings
in . Thompson was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates
in July for pitcher
John Wasdin
Thompson has played one season at the major league level, playing for the Kansas City Royals
in April as a Rule 5 Draft
pick who mainly entered games to pinch-run. Thompson stole
one base and scored one run
in five appearances as a pinch runner. His only at-bat was against Tim Laker
on April 20, 2004, and resulted in the speedy Thompson grounding into a double play
. Soon after that game, the Royals returned Thompson to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In , he played for the Tucson Sidewinders
, the Triple-A club of the Arizona Diamondbacks
. Thompson signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox
during the 2007-2008 offseason, but was released in April before playing a game in the organization. Shortly after his release, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies
. He is currently assigned to the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
.
. He played on the Montrose Meteors Varsity baseball team.
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
) is a professional baseball outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
who is currently playing in the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
organization. He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
in the 6th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft
2000 Major League Baseball Draft
-First Round Selections:-Compensation picks:- Background :The Florida Marlins made Adrian Gonzalez of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, CA the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft...
. Thompson played his first professional season with their Low-A Queens Kings
Queens Kings
The Queens Kings were the Toronto Blue Jays' Short-Season A classification team in the New York-Penn League in the 2000 season. The team was formerly the St. Catharines Stompers and was sold by the Blue Jays and relocated to Queens, New York and played at The Ballpark at St. Johns...
in . Thompson was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
in July for pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
John Wasdin
John Wasdin
John Truman Wasdin is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. He was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia and raised in Tallahassee, Florida....
Thompson has played one season at the major league level, playing for the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
in April as a Rule 5 Draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
pick who mainly entered games to pinch-run. Thompson stole
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
one base and scored one run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
in five appearances as a pinch runner. His only at-bat was against Tim Laker
Tim Laker
Timothy John Laker is a minor-league baseball manager and a former Major League Baseball catcher...
on April 20, 2004, and resulted in the speedy Thompson grounding into a double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
. Soon after that game, the Royals returned Thompson to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In , he played for the Tucson Sidewinders
Tucson Sidewinders
The Tucson Sidewinders were a minor league baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona. The team, which played in the Pacific Coast League, was the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks major-league club....
, the Triple-A club of the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
. Thompson signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
during the 2007-2008 offseason, but was released in April before playing a game in the organization. Shortly after his release, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He is currently assigned to the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
.
Personal life
Thompson graduated in 1997 from Montrose Area Jr./Sr. High School in Montrose, PennsylvaniaMontrose, Pennsylvania
Montrose is a borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, north by west of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Montrose was laid out in 1812 and incorporated as a borough on March 19, 1824. Its name is a combination of "mont", the French word for “mountain” and Rose, for Dr. L R. Rose, a...
. He played on the Montrose Meteors Varsity baseball team.