Dickie Thon

Richard William Thon (born June 20, 1958), is a Puerto Rican-American former professional baseball shortstop, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California Angels, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Milwaukee Brewers, during the course of his 15-year big league career.

Dickie Thon
Shortstop
Born: (1958-06-20) June 20, 1958
South Bend, Indiana
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 22, 1979, for the California Angels
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1993, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Batting average.264
Home runs71
Runs batted in435
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Thon was raised in Puerto Rico after spending only the first two weeks of his life in Indiana where his father had just completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Notre Dame.

Professional career

He was signed by the California Angels as an amateur free agent on November 23, 1975, while in high school in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. During his 15-year career, Thon spent two seasons with the Angels (1979–1980), seven seasons with the Houston Astros (1981–1987), one season with the San Diego Padres (1988), three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1991), one season with the Texas Rangers (1992), and finished his career with the Milwaukee Brewers (1993).

Potential and beaning

By 1984, Thon was drawing excitement about his potential. "He's already the best shortstop in the league," said Craig Reynolds, whom Thon had replaced as the Astro shortstop. Al Rosen, Thon's general manager, said, "when I see Dickie Thon, I see a future Hall of Famer."[1] His career was permanently altered on April 8, 1984, when he was hit in the face by Mike Torrez's fastball.[2] Bill James thinks Thon might have been a Hall of Famer had the injury not occurred.[3] The pitch broke the orbital bone around his left eye and ended his 1984 season. He returned in 1985, but suffered from problems with depth perception that permanently hampered his potential.[4] In 1991, Thon received the Tony Conigliaro Award in recognition of his recovery from this severe injury.

In 2013, Thon said, "I couldn't see the ball very well after I got hit in my left eye. I had to make adjustments, and open up a little bit and see the ball better. It's tough to do that in the big leagues, but I did manage to play 10 [more] years."[5] He viewed the injury as just one bad moment in a life filled mostly with blessings: "I've had a lot of good things happen to me. I try to think about it that way."[1]

Personal life

Thon is a third-generation baseball player. He is the grandson of Freddie Thon Sr., a native Puerto Rican who played and managed in the Puerto Rican Baseball League during World War II. His father Freddie Thon Jr., who signed a major-league contract but injured his arm before reporting to training, played semi-pro baseball while finishing college at Notre Dame, and coached all of his sons throughout their Little League and teenage years. Dickie's brother Frankie Thon is also affiliated with major league baseball in both the U.S. and Puerto Rico having been a player, a manager and a current major-league scout, as well as the general manager of the Criollos de Caguas in the Puerto Rican League.

Thon's son, Dickie Joe Thon, was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 5th round, 156th overall in the June 2010 baseball draft and played the 2016 season for the Dunedin Blue Jays.[6]

Thon was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on September 13, 2003.[7]

As of 2013, Thon owned a Puerto Rican Winter League team in Santurce.[5] He is a devout Catholic.[1]

See also

References
  1. Iber, Jorge (2016). Mike Torrez: A Baseball Biography. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. pp. 197–98. ISBN 978-0-7864-9632-7.
  2. "April 8, 1984: Dickie Thon Hit in Face by Pitch". The Pecan Park Eagle. January 22, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  3. The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Free Press. 2001. p. 627. ISBN 0-684-80697-5.
  4. Pietrusza, David; Matthew Silverman; Gershman, Michael (2000). Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia. New York: Total Sports. pp. 1129–1130. ISBN 1-892129-34-5.
  5. Thon reflects on injury after Stassi, Heyward are hit: Once-promising Astros shortstop suffered vision problems after fastball hit face, MLB, Brian McTaggart, Aug. 22, 2013.
  6. "Baseball-Reference: Dickie Joe Thon". Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  7. "Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum". Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
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