Dale Says

Robby Thompson was one of the best Giants second basemen of all times. When he retired from major league baseball in 1996, he was the Giants all-time second-base leader in games played, at bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, fielding percentage, and double plays. That’s pretty amazing, especially considering what Robby had to overcome to do it.

Robby played college baseball at the University of Florida and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round in 1983. He debuted with the Giants in April 1986, at the age of 24. That year, he won The Sporting News Rookie of the Year. He had surgery at the end of his first season to have cartilage removed from his right knee.

The next year, his second in the big leagues, Thompson teamed with Jose Uribe to form one of the best double play combinations in baseball, and together they turned 183 double plays. The Giants clinched the NL West that year by six games over the Cincinnati Reds. For most of the year, Robby played in pain with a bulging disc.

His third year should have been Robby’s best, as he was now comfortable as the Giant’s leadoff man and second baseman, but he had a pinched nerve in his leg, and he struggled to hit. That year he struck out 111 times and ended the year with an anemic .264 batting average.

His best year was in 1993, when Robby was hitting .325 at mid-season and was selected as an All-Star. A leg injury forced him to miss the game, however, and late in the season he suffered a broken cheek bone when he was hit by a pitch. He returned for the final game of the season and played with a bloodshot eye and wearing a plastic mask. He won a Gold Glove Award that year for fielding excellence and the Silver Slugger Award as the best offensive second baseman.

The following year, Thompson was hit on the left ear, went on the disabled list in May, and underwent surgery on his right shoulder. He missed most of that season. In 1995, he had surgery on his other shoulder. He played after recovery, but only in 63 games. He played his last game on September 22, 1996, at the age of 34. He has remained in baseball; coaching for the Giants, Indians, and Mariners. All three of his sons are in baseball, too, working their way through the minor leagues.

Robby won a lot of awards during his playing career; including being named to two All-Star teams, a Gold Glove Award, and a Silver Slugger Award. The award he was most proud of, though, was the Willie Mac Award, which he won in 1991. That award, named for and presented by Willie MacCovey, is given to the most inspirational player on the team, as voted upon by Giants players, coaches, training staff, and fans. The winner receives a plaque engraved with the words “Competitive Spirit, Ability and Leadership.”

That meant a lot to Robby. It took guts to keep playing through pain and surgery. It also took and gritty determination.