On January 16, original Met Frank Thomas passed away. Thomas was acquired by the Mets before their inaugural season 1962 in a trade with the Milwaukee Braves. Thomas played for the Mets from 1962 until August 1964, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.

As a Met, Thomas hit 52 home runs over two and two-thirds seasons, while posting a .262 batting average and driving in 173 runs. He hit 34 homers in 1962, a franchise record that stood until 1975 when Dave Kingman belted 36 round-trippers. Thomas’ 94 RBIs in 1962 were a Mets’ team record that stood until 1970.

Over his 16-year career, Thomas amassed 286 home runs, playing eight years with the Pirates, three with the Cubs, two with the Phillies, two with the Milwaukee Braves, and one each with the Reds and Astros in addition to his time with the Mets. Thomas drove in 962 runs, had a career OPS of .774, and an OPS+ of 107. He was a three-time All-Star and finished in the top ten in the National League in home runs four times.

Thomas, a native of Oakland, Pennsylvania (a Pittsburgh suburb), had an interesting path to the major leagues. After spending the first 13 years of his life in the Pittsburgh area, he and his family left for Ontario, Canada, where Thomas went to high school. After high school, he attended the seminary in Ontario for four and one-half years, where he studied to be a priest. After his seminary years, he decided to pursue a career in baseball. The Pirates signed Thomas as an amateur free agent in 1947. He debuted in 1951 and remained with the Pirates until 1958.

Thomas had a reputation for being opinionated and did not hesitate to debate matters with front offices, particularly his salary. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one instance came in 1955, when Thomas held out and took issue with only getting a $2,000 raise. Thomas wanted $10,000 more after hitting 23 home runs with 94 RBIs and a career-high average of .298, receiving 24 MVP votes along the way. From CBS Sports, Thomas once said that legendary general manager Branch Rickey treated him “like dirt on his feet.”

Thomas engaged in charitable activities after his baseball career. I was lucky enough to have him on a podcast in 2021, and he asked only that he would have a chance to mention his charities and how people could contribute to them. He raised money by signing photos and other baseball memorabilia and donated the proceeds to Camp Happy Days – Kids Kickin’ Cancer, and Courageous Kidz, a safe haven for children with cancer.

It was clear during the podcast that giving back was a big part of who Frank Thomas was as a person. This story from TrentonMonitor.com summarizes Thomas well, as a humanitarian and and man of faith.

He (Thomas) had his own Babe Ruth-like experience in the 1950s. He was told about a little boy in the hospital who would never smile. But when he poked his head in the boy’s room, his face lit up with a big smile and he exclaimed, “I know who that is. That’s Frank Thomas, my favorite ballplayer.”

Thomas gave the boy a ball autographed by the Pirates, but the youngster had a request. Would he hit a home run for him? Thomas recalled that he remembered thinking, “Dear God, can I do this?”

He told the boy that he would try. He was in the on-deck circle at the next game in Chicago when he asked, “Dear God, not for me, but for the little boy. I can’t do this unless you help me.” He went to bat and struck out.

The next time up he made the same request. On a 3-2 pitch, he connected for a home run. Thomas recalled that as he was rounding the bases he “was wondering what Stephen was thinking.” After the game, he returned to his locker to find a telegram from the boy’s mother. He had died shortly after the home run.

“That’s why I have the faith I do,” Thomas said. “God has never let me down.”

Rest in Peace, original Met, Frank Thomas.