John Carl Thomson (born October 1, 1973) is an American former

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

who last played for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. He is a 1991 graduate of Sulphur High School in

Sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. He went undrafted out of high school and pitched for

McNeese State University McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. M ...

( Lake Charles, Louisiana) in 1992 and Blinn Junior College (

Brenham Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas, United States, and the county seat of Washington County, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. Brenham is also known for its annual German heritage festival that takes pla ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

) in 1993. The

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

selected him in the seventh round of the June

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

amateur draft and he made his major league debut for the Rockies on May 11, 1997.

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

is his eleventh major league season. In addition to the Rockies, he has played for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

, Texas Rangers,

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

and

and also pitched in the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

organization from April through June 2007. He currently resides in his hometown of Sulphur, LA.

Colorado Rockies

Thomson pitched in the Rockies

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

system for the Arizona Rockies of the Arizona Rookie League in

, the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. It is located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in different ...

of the low single-A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

(

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

), the

Central Valley Rockies Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

of the advanced single-A

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

(1994), the

New Haven Ravens New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Boyz or The Boyz may refer to: Music Bands *The Boyz (German band), a German boy band of the 1990s * The Boyz (American band), an American rock band , established in 1975 * ...

of the double-A Eastern League (

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

–

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

) and the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...

of the triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(1996–

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

). In his major league debut May 11, 1997, Thomson gave up three runs (only one earned) on five hits in 7 innings with 7 strikeouts and 4

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

s in a 3–1 loss to the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. He earned his first major league

win Win or WIN most likely refers to: * A victory Win, Winning, WIN or Winner may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * '' Win!'', a 2016 American film Literature * ''Win'' (Coben novel), 2021 * WIN (pacifist magazine) * WIN (wrestling ma ...

in a

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

June 1. He remained in the Rockies starting rotation for the rest of 1997, posting seven wins and nine

loss Loss may refer to: *Economic loss *Grief, an emotional response to loss **Animal loss, grief over the loss of an animal Mathematics, science, and technology * Angular misalignment loss, power loss caused by the deviation from optimum angular al ...

es with a 4.71

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

and 106

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 166

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. Thomson made 26 starts for the Rockies in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

and led their starting pitchers with a 4.81 ERA. He missed a month of the season with a blister on his right middle finger that would become a recurring problem for him over the ensuing years. The

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

season was a poor one for Thomson. After six appearances (five starts), he was 0–5 with an 11.84 ERA and the Rockies sent him down to triple-A Colorado Springs where he didn't fare much better (0-2, 9.45 ERA in five starts). He returned to the Rockies August 14 and was credited with his first win since September 8, 1998, but failed to win another game the rest of the season. He finished 1999 at 1–10 with an 8.04 ERA. After the season, it was discovered that Thomson had a torn labrum (another injury that would recur later in his career). He had shoulder surgery October 12 and a second surgery the following day to repair his blister-prone right middle finger. With the exception of four rehabilitation appearances with the Rockies' Arizona Rookie League team and the

Portland Rockies The Portland Rockies were a minor league baseball team that played in Portland, Oregon. The Rockies were members of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League for six years, from 1995 through 2000. Prior to relocating to Portland, the franchise ...

of the short-season, single-A

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseba ...

in August and September, he missed the entire

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

season. Thomson began

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

(DL) as he continued rehabilitation of his surgically repaired shoulder. After five rehabilitation starts at Colorado Springs, he was activated May 12 and made three starts for Colorado before returning to the DL just two weeks later on May 26. This time, he made seven rehabilitation starts for the Sky Sox and returned to the Rockies August 2. He got his first win in more than two years August 19 against Florida. Over his final eight starts, he was 4–0 with a 3.36 ERA and for the season, he was 4–5 with a 4.05 ERA. On the final day of the season, he gave up

Rickey Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (December 25, 1958 – December 20, 2024), nicknamed "Man of Steal", was an American professional baseball left fielder who played 25 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, inc ...

's 3000th hit.

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

would be Thomson's final season with the Rockies and he returned to his pre-injury form. In his first 11 starts for Colorado, he was 6–3 with a 3.86 ERA. With the Rockies unlikely to compete for a

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

playoff spot and Thomson a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

at the end of the season, he became a target of trade talks as the July 31 non-waiver deadline approached. After his final start for Colorado July 23, he was 7–8 with a 4.88 ERA in 21 starts.

New York Mets

On July 31, 2002, the Rockies and Mets made a

trade deadline In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft ...

deal that sent Thomson and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

Mark Little to New York for outfielder

Jay Payton Jason Lee "Jay" Payton (born November 22, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the New York Mets (-), Colorado Rockies (2002-, 2010), San Diego Padres (), Boston Red Sox (), Oakland Athletics (2005-) a ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

Mark Corey Mark Franklin Corey (born November 16, 1974) is an American former baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Early life Corey attended Austin High School in Aus ...

and

outfielder Robert Stratton. He made nine starts for the Mets, going 2–6 with a 4.31 ERA. For the season, he was 9–14 with a 4.71 ERA in 30 starts.

Texas Rangers

Thomson was granted

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

after the 2002 season and signed with the Texas Rangers January 3, 2003. He was 13–14 with the Rangers in 2003 with a 4.85 ERA in 35 starts and 217 innings pitched, leading the team in most statistical categories.

Atlanta Braves

Thomson was again granted free agency in October 2003 and signed a two-year contract (including a club option for a third year) with the

December 9. He had his best season as a major leaguer in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, posting a career-high 14

s against only eight

es and a career-best 3.72 ERA. He carried this success over into

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, going 3–2 with a 3.42 ERA over his first eight starts before a finger injury landed him on the DL May 17. He returned to the Braves August 13, but was unable to consistently regain his early season form and finished 2005 with a 4–6 record and a 4.47 ERA. In spite of Thomson's injury troubles in 2005, the Braves exercised their option to bring him back for a third season in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. He struggled to a 2–6 record and a 4.68 ERA over his first 13 starts and went on the DL with a finger blister following his June 14 start against the

. He returned for two ineffective starts in July and was placed back on the DL—for the seventh time in his career—July 14 with shoulder stiffness. An

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

eventually revealed some fraying of his labrum and he made only one more appearance for the Braves, pitching an inning of relief September 27.

Toronto Blue Jays

On January 9, 2007, Thomson signed a one-year contract with the

for a base pay of $500,000 plus up to $4,000,000 in bonuses based on the number of starts he made. The team placed him on the

at the end of

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

with a recurrence of his shoulder injury and released him June 20 before he ever made an appearance with the major league club.

Kansas City Royals

Thomson was signed by

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

on June 22, 2007, and replaced the injured Scott Elarton in the Royals' starting rotation. He filed for free agency on November 1, 2007.

Major league and minor league statistics

Amateur Golf Career

On August 29, 2015, Thomson was declared champion of the 35th Annual AI Hesch golf tournament, played at the Wellshire Golf Course in Denver, Colorado.

References

External links

*
MLB.com Player FileThe Baseball Cube player page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, John 1973 births Living people Colorado Rockies players New York Mets players Texas Rangers players Atlanta Braves players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Mississippi Blinn Buccaneers baseball players Murray State Racers baseball coaches Sportspeople from Vicksburg, Mississippi Arizona League Rockies players Asheville Tourists players Central Valley Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Dunedin Blue Jays players Mississippi Braves players New Haven Ravens players Omaha Royals players Portland Rockies players Richmond Braves players Rome Braves players Salem Avalanche players Syracuse Chiefs players Wichita Wranglers players