Homer Happy: Frank Thomas

The Power in Polo

From their inaugural season of 1962 until 1975, the New York Mets’ single-season record for home runs belonged to a right-handed hitting outfielder who played for the Mets for only 2 seasons, but was a National League power threat for a decade.

Frank Thomas

Slugger Frank Thomas played both the outfield and first base for 7 different teams in 16 years. Over that long career, he batted .266 with 286 home runs and 962 RBIs.

Thomas signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947 and made his major league debut in 1951. In 1953, his first full major league season, Thomas batted .255 for the Pirates with 30 home runs and 102 RBIs. He was an All-Star 3 times in his 5 full seasons with Pittsburgh, and had his best season in 1958 with 35 home runs and 109 RBIs.

In 1959, Thomas was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in the deal that brought Smokey Burgess, Harvey Haddix and Don Hoak to the Pirates. Thomas spent one season in Cincinnati (12 home runs, 47 RBIs) and then was traded to the Chicago Cubs. With the Cubs, he hit 21 home runs with 64 RBIs in 1960, and a month into the 1961 season he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves. He had a solid season for the Braves, hitting 25 home runs (plus 2 with the Cubs) in a lineup that was loaded with power. The Braves team of 1961 was the first major league team to hit 4 consecutive home runs in a game. (Thomas hit the fourth, preceded by home runs from Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, and Joe Adcock.)

After the 1961 season he was traded to the Mets for outfielder Gus Bell. He led that first Mets team with 34 home runs and 94 RBIs. His home run mark was not topped by another Mets hitter until Dave Kingman blasted 36 in 1975.

Frank Thomas led
the expansion New York Mets
with 34 home runs in 1962.
It would be the most home runs
by a Mets batter for more than a decade.

Thomas hit 15 home runs for the Mets in 1963 and was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964. At this point in his career, the 35-year-old Thomas had become a part-time player and pinch hitter, batting .282 in 2 seasons with the Phillies. He retired in 1966 with 1,671 career hits.