Daryl Marcelus Thompson (born November 2, 1985) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

and

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League B ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in 2008 and 2011.

Career

Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals

Thompson was selected in the 8th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft by the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They p ...

. He made his professional debut for the rookie ball GCL Expos. He spent the 2004 season in Single-A with the

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated ...

, recording a 4-9 record and 5.08 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 25 games for the club. After the team Expos moved to Washington and became the Nationals in 2005, Thompson remained in Savannah for the year, pitching to a 3.35 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 53.2 innings of work. Thompson was assigned to the Low-A

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont. From 1994 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL). They play their home games at Centennial Field, ...

to begin the 2006 season.

Cincinnati Reds

On July 13, , the Reds traded

Austin Kearns Austin Ryan Kearns (born May 20, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2002 through 2013 for the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and ...

, Felipe López, and

Ryan Wagner Ryan Scott Wagner (born July 15, 1982) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals. Wagner was an All-American closer for the Unive ...

to the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

for Thompson,

Bill Bray William Paul Bray (born June 5, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds. Amateur career A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Bray atte ...

Royce Clayton Royce Spencer Clayton (born January 2, 1970) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Col ...

, Brendan Harris, and

Gary Majewski Gary Wayne Majewski (; born February 26, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Career Majewski gradua ...

. Thompson rose quickly through the minor league system of the Reds. While playing for the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the winged mammal and baseball ...

, where he won three games in four starts. After compiling a 2.22

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Com ...

in the minors, Thompson was called up by the Reds on June 20, , to replace the 0-3

Homer Bailey David Dewitt "Homer" Bailey Jr. (born May 3, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 through 2018, the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics in 2019 ...

. His first start came on June 21, 2008, against another rookie making his first start, Dan Giese of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

. He pitched well, allowing no runs while striking out two and stranding eight baserunners (four

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

/four walks) over five innings. Thompson allowed 11 earned runs in 14.1 innings for the Reds in 2008. After 2009

Spring Training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

, he was assigned to the Triple A

to gain more experience. On November 20, 2009, Thompson was outrighted to Louisville from the 40-man roster, and accepted his assignment with an invite to Spring Training. He spent the 2010 season in Double-A with the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. ...

, recording a 3.71 ERA in 12 games. On November 19, 2010, Thompson was re-added to the 40-man roster. On May 26, 2011, Thompson was recalled to the majors when Matt Maloney was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique. He was optioned back down the next day without making an appearance but was recalled again on June 6. Thompson gave up 5 runs in 3.0 innings for the Reds before being again optioned down the next day. On October 31, 2011, Thompson was outrighted off of the 40-man roster.

Minnesota Twins

On November 22, 2011, Thompson signed a minor league contract with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

organization and was invited to major league Spring Training. He did not make the club out of spring and was assigned to the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in do ...

. After recording a 4.71 ERA in 9 games, Thompson was released by the Twins on June 1, 2012.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

After his release by the Twins, Thompson signed with the

of the

. In 11 games for the club, he recorded a 2.94 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 49.0 innings pitched. In 2013 for the Blue Crabs, Thompson pitched in 22 games, recording a 10-5 record and 3.18 ERA.

New York Mets

On August 20, 2013, Thompson signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

organization and was assigned to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. He recorded a 3.97 ERA in 9 appearances in Las Vegas and elected free agency on November 4, 2013.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

On April 15, 2014, Thompson signed with the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, l ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He allowed 5 runs in 2.1 innings before being released on April 18.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (second stint)

Thompson returned to the

after his stint with Oaxaca and turned in a 7-6 record and 4.76 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 22 appearances for the club. He became a free agent after the season.

Piratas de Campeche

On April 1, 2015, Thompson signed with the Piratas de Campeche of the

. He allowed 31 runs in 30.2 innings across 8 games for the Piratas before his release on May 16, 2015.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (third stint)

Thompson again re-signed with the

after being released from Campeche. On the season, Thompson pitched to a 7-7 record and 3.87 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 109.1 innings pitched. He returned to the Blue Crabs for the 2016 season, recording a 5-9 record and 4.69 ERA in 132.1 innings pitched. In 2017 for the club, Thompson pitched to a 9-7 record and 3.87 ERA in 26 appearances. In 2018, Thompson played in 16 games for Southern Maryland, registering a 5-4 record and 3.38 ERA with 67 strikeouts. In 2019, he was also named

for the Blue Crabs, thus becoming a player/coach for the first time in his career. Thompson was named 2019 Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year. Thompson did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the ALPB season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. He became a free agent after the year. On April 20, 2021, Thompson returned to the Blue Crabs as a player/coach for the 2021 season. Thompson had another stellar season, going 16–3 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over a league-high 169.0 innings pitched. He was named ALPB Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season. On January 14, 2022, Thompson re-signed with the Blue Crabs as a player/coach for the 2022 season. He started 27 games for Southern Maryland, logging a 15-4 record and 3.43 ERA with 119 strikeouts in 186.1 innings pitched. Following the regular season, Thompson was named an Atlantic League All-Star. He was additionally named the ALPB Pitcher of the Year for the third consecutive season. In doing so, he also became the pitcher with the most Pitcher of the Year awards in ALPB history. On January 27, 2023, Thompson again re-signed with the Blue Crabs, returning for his 11th season with the team and fourth season as player-coach.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Daryl 1985 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Arizona League Reds players Baseball coaches from Maryland Baseball players from Maryland Bravos de Margarita players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Caribes de Anzoátegui players Carolina Mudcats players Chattanooga Lookouts players Cincinnati Reds players Dayton Dragons players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast Expos players Gulf Coast Reds players Las Vegas 51s players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers People from La Plata, Maryland Peoria Saguaros players Piratas de Campeche players Rochester Red Wings players Sarasota Reds players Savannah Sand Gnats players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players Vermont Lake Monsters players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people Leones del Escogido players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic