#441 Dickie Thon
Tonight's Padrograph is of Dickie Thon. Dickie only spent one season with the Padres, in 1988. When looking at Dickie's stats, one thing really pops out to me. That would be his home run numbers. He only had 71 homers in his 15 year career. But, in 1983, he hit 20 dingers and in 1989, he added 15 more. Those were his only two seasons in which he had double-digit home run totals and they accounted for nearly half of his career homers. Plus, in the '83 season, he added 79 RBI which was the most that he ever had in a single season. That was pretty good for a shortstop in the early '80s. That just happened to be the one year that he made the All-Star team, and rightfully so. He wasn't the starter at short (Ozzie Smith was), but he probably should have been (based on his season stats compared to Ozzie's)
In 1984 Dickie Thon was well on his way to becoming a young All Star home run hitting shortstop along the lines of a Cal Ripken when he was hit with a horrid bean ball that fractured his face and ruined his vision. He became a shell of his former self for years until making a small comeback in '89 and then was out of baseball a few years later.
ReplyDeleteSo, that's why he only played in five games in '84. I didn't know that. At least he was able to keep playing into the '90s and even made over a million bucks for a couple of years. Thanks for pointing that out to me.
ReplyDelete"Richard, finish your steak before leaving the table."
ReplyDelete"But Mom, I'm full! And don't call me Richard!"
"Sorry, but we're not calling you Dickie. There's a reason we named you Richard. Someday you'll understand."
And that day never came.
As a kid in the 80s, I got embarrassed every time I pulled a Dickie Thon card. I wonder if kids in the 1990s felt the same way about Richie Sexson.
That said this is an awesome, awesome autograph. That thick black sharpie looks perfect with the thick black bat and even thicker black border down the sides. Plus he's got a really nice signature. Even if he signed it "Dickie."
P.S. I had no idea about the bean ball...thanks for the bit of history, Card Junkie