Fresco Thompson

Infobox MLB retired
name=Fresco Thompson
position=Second Baseman


bgcolor1=black
bgcolor2=black
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=June 6, 1902
deathdate=death date and age|1968|11|20|1902|6|6
debutdate= September 5
debutyear= 1925
debutteam= Pittsburgh Pirates
finaldate=April 22
finalyear=1934
finalteam=New York Giants
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.298
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=13
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=249
teams=
* Pittsburgh Pirates (1925)
* New York Giants (1926)
* Philadelphia Phillies (1928-1930)
* Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers (1931-1932)
* New York Giants (1934)
highlights=

Lafayette Fresco Thompson (June 6, 1902 in Centreville, Alabama - November 20, 1968 in Fullerton, California) was a Major League Baseball second baseman and executive.

After brief appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants, Thompson was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in by|1927 when the Giants obtained Rogers Hornsby. A right-handed hitter and thrower, he had his most productive years with the Phils, playing in their bandbox ballpark, Baker Bowl, and hitting over .300 on two occasions. Overall, he batted .298 in 669 games played and 2,560 at bats over nine National League seasons (1925-32; 1934).

After his playing days, Thompson managed in the minor leagues and in by|1946 he became an assistant farm director for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Thompson moved up the executive ladder, and survived the front-office purge that followed Branch Rickey's departure in October by|1950. During the shakeup, Thompson became a vice president and the team's #2 baseball executive, responsible for all minor league operations, while another vp, Buzzie Bavasi, assumed control of the big-league Dodgers' operations.

Thompson continued in that role after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in by|1958. When Bavasi left to become president of the expansion San Diego Padres in June by|1968, Thompson became the Dodgers' executive vice president and general manager. But weeks after his promotion, Thompson was diagnosed with cancer, and he died in November at the age of 66.

External links

*baseball-reference|id=t/thompfr03