#199 Hank Thompson - New York Giants

Henry Curtis Thompson
New York Giants
Third Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  174
Born:  December 8, 1925, Oklahoma City, OK
Signed:  Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Browns, July 17, 1947
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Monarchs 1943, 1946-1947; St. Louis Browns 1947; Kansas City Monarchs 1948; New York Giants 1949-1956
Died:  September 30, 1969, Fresno, CA (age 43)

Hank Thompson was a star for the Kansas City Monarchs, batting over .300 for the club as a 17-year-old in 1943.  He missed two full years of playing time while serving in the Army during World War II, seeing action at the Battle of the Bulge.  Thompson was discharged in June 1946, and returned to the Monarchs where he'd play in parts of three more seasons.  Signed by the Browns in July 1947, Thompson was the first black player for that franchise and on July 20, 1947, he and right fielder Willard Brown became the first black teammates to play in the league.  Thompson signed with the Giants before the 1949 season, with he and Monte Irvin (#194) becoming the first black players for that team, giving Thompson the distinction of having integrated two different franchises.

His best season in the National League came in 1950 when he batted .289 with a career-high 91 RBIs.  As the Giants' regular third baseman, Thompson clubbed 24 home runs in 1953 and 26 home runs in 1954 with his team winning the National League pennant.  Thompson batted .364 (4 for 11) in the 1954 World Series as the Giants swept the Indians in four games, and he set a four-game Series record with seven walks.  Although his Negro League records are incomplete, Thompson's career records currently show him with a .275 average in 1,087 games, with 983 hits, 144 home runs and 568 RBIs.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #215
I went nuts and bought 16 cards for our 1956 Topps set on this day at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show in Raleigh.  My records show the 16 cards set me back $55 which I would have considered to be a small fortune back then.  I hadn't yet moved back north yet, so I was still living in Raleigh at this time planning for my eventual escape.  I would have provided my Dad with an updated checklist following this show as he was back in New Jersey.

The Card / Giants Team Set
Thompson was exclusively with Bowman in 1955, and this marks his return to Topps after a one year absence.  The main picture used here is different than the picture used for his 1954 Topps card.  In the action shot, Thompson ranges to his left to field a ground ball and I'm going to go ahead and call the batter out on this play.

On the back, the first cartoon panels notes Thompson holds the record for double plays by a third baseman.  He turned 43 at the position in 1950, and Graig Nettles holds the record now with 54 double plays turned in 1971 while playing third base with the Indians.  Thompson's starring role in the 1954 World Series is highlighted in the middle panel.

1956 Season

In his final season in the majors, Thompson was once again the Giants' opening day third baseman.  However, Foster Castleman (#271) would receive most of the starts at third for the team as the season progressed.  Thompson appeared in 83 games overall, batting .235 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs.  His final appearance came on September 30th in the second game of a double header agains the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium.  Thompson pinch-hit for pitcher Steve Ridzik in the seventh inning, and he popped out to first against Phillies pitcher Curt Simmons (#290).  He'd play part of the 1957 season with the Giants' Triple-A team in Minneapolis before retiring from the game.

1950 Bowman #174

1952 Topps #3

1954 Topps #64

1955 Bowman #94

1957 Topps #109

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #174
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1951-1954, 1956-1957
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #64

36 - Thompson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/22/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia