Andre Thornton
| Andre Thornton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First baseman / Designated hitter | |||
|
Born: August 13, 1949 Tuskegee, Alabama |
|||
|
|||
| MLB debut | |||
| July 28, 1973, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| August 31, 1987, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .254 | ||
| Home runs | 253 | ||
| Runs batted in | 895 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
André Thornton (born August 13, 1949), nicknamed "Thunder", is a former first baseman and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos and Cleveland Indians during a 14-year career. André grew up in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, in a family of athletes, and graduated from Phoenixville Area High School.
In 1967, a week before his 18th birthday, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Thornton as an amateur free agent. In 1972, the Phillies traded André to the Atlanta Braves, who traded him to the Chicago Cubs the following year.
Thornton, playing first base, made his major-league debut with the Cubs on July 28, 1973 and played for the Cubs until May 1976. He was named to the 1974 All-Rookie Team as a first baseman by Baseball Digest. Thornton had one of his best seasons in 1975; although his 18 home runs were only the seventh-best season total of his career, he hit .293 with a .428 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .516. It was the first of six seasons in which Thornton walked more than he struck out.
After a relatively disappointing 1976 season, in which he battled injuries, Thorton split time between the Cubs and the Montreal Expos. After a short stay in Montreal, the Expos traded Thornton to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Jackie Brown. The trade would prove to be one of the most lopsided deals of the 1970s; Brown would only pitch one more year in the majors.
Thornton sustained high levels of production through much of his Cleveland career. After hitting 28 home runs in his debut season in Cleveland, Thornton hit a career-high 33 home runs in 1978 (a total he would match in 1984). In 1979, he was honored with the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and team contribution. In 1982, Thornton hit 32 home runs and batted in 116 runs, a career high. He also had 109 walks. From 1981 to 1984, he played primarily as a designated hitter; he won a Silver Slugger Award as a designated hitter in 1984. Thornton played exclusively as a designated hitter from 1985 to 1987.
...
Wikipedia