Fresco Thompson

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Fresco Thompson

Second Baseman

Born: June 6, 1902
Died: November 20, 1968 (aged 66)
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 5, 1925 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Final game
April 22, 1934 for the New York Giants
Career statistics
Batting average	.298
Home runs	13
Runs batted in	249
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1925) New York Giants (1926) Philadelphia Phillies (1928-1930) Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers (1931-1932) New York Giants (1934)
Career highlights and awards

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 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 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 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 1958. When Bavasi left to become president of the expansion San Diego Padres in 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.