John Thomson #52

Pitched in 1993 at Blinn Jr. College in Brenham, TX and in 1992 at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA...Rangers scout Rudy Terrasas attempted to sign him as an undrafted free agent in 1991 before enrolled at McNeese St....Played baseball at Sulphur, LA High School (graduated '91)....Resides in Sulphur, LA.

2007

Began the season in the Blue Jays organization on the 15-day D.L....made rehab starts with Dunedin and Syracuse before being released on June 18...signed by the Royals June 22...Made a spectacular Royals debut on June 25 at Los Angeles, allowing just 2 earned runs on 6 hits in 7 innings in a 5-3 win...Made 1 more start on July 1 vs. Chicago before going down with low back spasms...placed on 15-day D.L. on July 15...made rehab assignments with the Arizona Royals, Wichita and Omaha before being placed on the 60-day D.L. on Aug. 31.

2006

Posted a 1.59 ERA in his first six starts, and then endured the remainder of what became an injury-marred season. After getting a blister on his right middle finger during his June 14 start, he was limited to just 7 1/3 innings for the remainder of the season. A sore shoulder limited him to just one inning after the All-Star break.

2005

Missed nearly three months of action with a strained flexor tendon in his right middle finger. He missed a total of 78 team games during his DL stint. ... Ended the year with a 4-6 record and a 4.47 ERA in 17 games. ... Allowed only six home runs in 98.2 IP on the season. ... From the 2004 All-Star break to the 2005 break, John went 11-3 with a 2.80 ERA in 24 games. ... Made nine starts after coming off the disabled list on August 13 and went 1-4 with a 5.55 ERA. ... John made eight starts (3-2, 3.42 ERA) before his injury, suffered 5/16 at SD. ... Had his best start since coming off the DL on 9/24 vs. FLA, allowing one run on four hits in seven innings of work. John retired the lead-off batter in six of his seven innings of work. ... Went 7.0 innings, but took the loss 9/18 at NY. He retired 12 of 13 batters and hadn't allowed a run through five innings before getting hit for four runs on two doubles and a homer in the sixth in a 4-1 loss. ... Had first solid outing since coming off the DL, allowing two runs in six innings in a 4-3 loss to CIN in Game 2 on 8/31. John got a ND and left down 2-1 entering the seventh inning. ... Was roughed up on 8/18 vs. LA, giving up a season-high seven runs in a season-low 3.2 IP in a 7-4 Dodgers win. ... His 8/13 start vs. ARI was his first action since suffering his injury.Went 6.0 innings (85 pitches) and allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits, including his third homer of the year (his first to a LH batter). ... Made four injury rehabilitation starts before his comeback and pitched 15.2 rehab innings (3 ER). ... Had a 32-inn. homerless streak (dating back to 4/8) end with fifth-inning shot by HOU's M. Ensberg on 5/5. ... Came out of 5/16 game at SD in the fifth inning with a 3-1 lead. The Braves eventually lost the game 5-3. ... Had a tough outing at Colorado on 5/10. The Braves scored six runs in the first inning (including an RBI-double by John), but was unable to qualify for the win, making his exit with two outs in the fifth. He allowed five runs on eight hits and had his first career ejection (by HP umpire Tim Timmons) as he left. ... Threw his 10th-career complete game (first since 8/24/03) on 5/5 vs. HOU, in a 9-3 Braves win. He matched his fewest hits allowed in a CG with three (5/18/03 at NYY) . ... Had a great outing with 7.0 shutout innings against PHI on 4/24, when he fanned a season-high eight batters and allowed just five hits in the 4-0 win. Also threw a season-high 114 pitches. ... Had his career-best six-game winning streak snapped on 4/13 vs. WSH. John allowed two runs in the first inning and four runs total in 6.0 innings of work in the 11-4 loss. ... Notched a 3-1 win over NYM in his 2005 debut on 4/8, allowing just one run in eight hits in 7.0 innings of work. The lone run he allowed came on a Mike Piazza homer in the fourth inning. ... 2005 POSTSEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Division Series (Hou.): Made only appearance of the series in Game 4, throwing a scoreless 12th and 13th innings that included no hits, one walk and three strikeouts.

2004

Set a career high with 14 wins...The Braves went 20-13 in his 33 starts...Went 7-4 with a 3.46 ERA (41 ER/106.2 IP) on the road and 7-4, 4.03 (41 ER/91.2 IP) at home...In his 15 starts in the second half, went 8-1 with a 2.45 ERA (25 ER/92.0 IP) with just five HRs allowed...On 7/18 vs. MON, went 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs and an RBI...Allowed two or fewer earned runs 12 times in his 15 second-half outings...Went 2-1 in August and his 3.08 ERA was the best of all Braves starters for the month...Ended the season with a six-game winning streak...Over his last eight outings, went 5-0 with a 1.77 ERA (11 ER/56.0 IP) and allowed just one home run...For the month of Sept., he went 4-0 with with an ERA of 1.36...Matched his career-high five-game winning streak with a win in his fourth straight outing on 9/26 vs. FLA. Allowed just a first-inning run over 7.0 IP in a 6-3 Braves win...Picked up a win in his third straight outing on 9/21 vs. CIN allowing just one earned run over 7.0 IP while fanning a season-high nine batters...Had a very strong outing on 9/15 at NY, going 7.0 scoreless innings allowing just five hits in a 2-0 win over Al Leiter. It was his sixth consecutive start allowing three earned runs or less...Lasted just 3.0 innings in his final start at CHI 10/2, leaving with a strained left oblique muscle. 2004 POSTSEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Division Series (Hou.): Started Game 3 in Houston, but was forced to leave the game in the first inning after just four pitches due to re-injuring a left oblique strain suffered 10/2 at Chicago.

2003

Tied for 2nd among American League pitchers in starts (35), 7th in innings (217.0), and tied for 7th in complete games (3); he led Texas and set career highs in those categories as well as wins (13) and strikeouts (132)...Was 9-5, 3.89 (52 ER/120.1 IP) in final 18 starts...Went 8-1, 3.60 (32 ER/80.0 IP) in 1st 12 outings of that span, winning final 5 decisions over 7 starts, July 27-August 24, the longest winning streak of career...Was 1-4, 4.46 (20 ER/40.1 IP) in last 6 games...Defeated Boston for 1st AL victory on April 23; was 1st win since Sept. 8, 2002, ending career high 5-game losing streak...Pitched 3 of Texas' 4 complete games; had 7 of the team's 9 individual starts of 8 or more frames...Hurled low-hit CG of career, 3-hitter in a 5-1 win May 18 at New York...Pitched 4-hit shutout on August 24 in Chicago, his 3rd career CG SHO and 1st since Sept. 30, 2001 vs. Mil...Pitched at least 7 innings on 17 occasions...Issued just 2.0 walks every 9 innings, tied for 6th best ratio among AL starters; had 11 starts without a walk...Issued 3 or fewer runs 21 times...Signed by the Braves as a free agent December 9, 2003.

2002

John combined to go 9-14 with a 4.71 era (95 er/181.2 ip) in 30 starts with Colorado and the New York Mets. He set career highs for wins, starts, innings, and strikeouts (107). John issued just 44 walks, an average of 2.2 every 9 innings that ranked as the 6th best figure among National League qualifiers...Was 7-8, 4.88 in 21 starts for the Rockies...Ranked 3rd on the staff in strikeouts (76) and tied for 4th in starts and wins...Earned victories in season's 1st 2 starts, allowing 6 runs in 13 innings, to increase his winning streak to 6 games over 2 seasons...Dropped next 2 outings to Arizona, then was 4-1, 2.81 (15 er/48 ip) in his next 7 starts through May 28...Went 3-0, 2.33 (7 er/27 ip) in 1st 4 games of that stretch...Earned 6th win on June 23 vs. San Diego, the 4th earliest date ever for a Rockie to reach 6 victories...Beginning June 2, was 1-5, 6.12 (39 er/57.1 ip) in final 10 starts with Colorado, going 0-4, 7.34 in 6 games in June...Pitched 6.1 no-hit innings on May 2 vs. Pittsburgh before Armando Rios' bloop single in the 7th...Was a Rockies club record for most no-hit innings to start a game...Colorado was 12-9 in his 21 starts...Made 100th career start on July 18 vs. Arizona, joining Pedro Astacio as the only Rockie pitchers to ever reach that milestone...On Colorado's all-time list, is tied for 1st in shutouts (2), ranks 2nd in starts (101) and innings (611), and places 3rd in strikeouts (390)...Is 15-17, 5.71 in 49 career starts at Coors Field...Was traded to the Mets on July 31 and went 2-6, 4.31 in 9 starts...Lost 1st 3 starts with a 4.50 era (9 er/18 ip) before winning at Florida on Aug. 27...Was 2-0, 3.98 (9 er/20.1 ip) in span of 3 starts, Aug. 27-Sept. 8, then lost his last 3 outings with a 4.50 era (8 er/16 ip)...The Mets were 2-7 in his 9 starts...Opposition hit .275, .285 (105-368) by lefthanded batters and .264 (96-363) vs. righthanders...Pitched 6 or more innings in 19 of 30 starts with a high of 8.1 frames, Aug. 27 at Florida...Allowed 3 or fewer runs 20 times...Fanned a season high 8 batters, April 26 vs. Philadelphia...Hit .212 (11-52) with 3 rbi.

2001

The former seventh round draft pick completed his fourth season with the Rockies...in 14 starts, he was 4-5 with a 4.04 ERA (93.2 ip, 42 er), with 25 walks and 68 strikeouts...had two different stints with the Rockies this year... opened 2001 at Colorado Springs (AAA) continuing to rehab his shoulder...he sat out all of 2000 following his surgery to repair a torn labrum on Oct. 12, 1999...this year at AAA he went 1-2 with a 4.62 ERA in five starts...recalled by the Rockies the first time on May 12 but after three starts (0-3, 5.68 ERA), went back on the DL May 26 and returned to Colorado Springs on another rehab...made another seven starts at AAA before his return to the Rockies active roster August 2...His first start on May 12 vs. Montreal was his first ML game since Oct. 1, 1999...After a year away from the majors, Thomson couldn't find a way to get into the win column during the first half of the season...Began the year 0-3 before going on the disabled list and then lost his next two starts after returning...it marked 10 consecutive losses, dating back to August 21, 1999, the longest losing streak of his career...the streak also included eight straight starts with a loss (9/19/99 thru 8/8/01), the longest losing streak in starts during his career...The L's didn't completely reflect how he was pitching...two of his losses came in low scoring, one-run decisions: (1-0 loss to Florida on May 15 and a 2-1 loss to Chicago on Aug. 8)...Broke the streak for his first win of the season on August 19 vs. Florida (7.0 ip, 6h, 2 er)...it was his first ML victory in two years, since he beat Montreal, Aug. 15, 1999...tossed his second career complete-game shutout on the last home game of the season, Sept. 30 vs. Milwaukee...in his nine complete innings, he allowed five hits with three walks and one hit batsmen, while striking out nine...he retired the first 11 batters and allowed just one runner as far as third...it was the fourth complete-game shutout by the Rockies this season and just the 13th complete-game shutout by a Rockies pitcher in franchise history....was only the 11th time a pitcher has tossed a CG shutout in the history of Coors Field and only the fifth time by a Colorado hurler...he joins Mark Thompson (8/6/96 vs. FLA), Roger Bailey (5/4/97 vs. PHI), Brian Bohanon (8/28/99 vs. PHI) and Mike Hampton (5/9/01 vs. NYM) as the only Rox pitchers to do it at Coors...at Coors, he was 2-2 with a 4.64 ERA... on the road, he was 2-3 with a 3.20 ERA...Thomson hit .241 for the Rockies this season (7-for-29) with one RBI and six sacrifice hits...Went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI single during his shutout on Sept. 30 vs. the Brewers...Also hit his first career triple that afternoon, which was the first triple by a Rockies pitcher since Pedro Astacio hit one on Sept. 6, 1999.

2000

John Thomson entered a pivotal season...the tall right-hander, marking his eighth campaign in the organization, wasn't with the Rockies on Opening Day for the first time since 1997...after pitching in the big-league rotation for most of the '97 season and all of '98, Thomson's career hit a wall in '99...he battled injuries all season, from his shoulder to his finger, and closed the year with successful separate surgeries to repair the torn labrum in his shoulder and treat the recurrent blister on his pitching finger...Thomson began a light throwing program Feb. 2 and will continue it in Tucson, so long as he doesn't feel pain...the Rockies have targeted June for a minor league rehab assignment, and hope to have him back sometime during the summer...before the '99 season, Thomson's first two years in the majors were strong...he threw four complete games from 1997-98; at the time, only two other pitchers (Roger Bailey and Armando Reynoso, five each) had thrown more in a Rockies uniform...those two years produced a 4.76 ERA, impressive for a pitcher whose home games are at Coors Field...his best career performance came Aug. 6, 1997 at Shea Stadium, where he fired a four-hit shutout; he allowed only two Mets as far as second base...Thomson encountered two setbacks during the '99 regular season: his first career option down to the minors, and a painful finger blister that sidelined him...once the brightest pitching prospect in the organization, Thomson now faces an uphill, arduous and unpaved road...any pitcher who's torn a labrum will testify: Rebounding isn't easy...but the club has revamped its medical team and even added a full-time physical therapist, all of whom will work closely with Thomson.

1999

Start to finish, Thomson endured the toughest year of any Rockies pitcher in 1999...after struggling early in the season, the Rockies optioned him to Triple-A, but he saw little action there because of injury...he pitched his strongest upon his return to the majors, in mid-August, but again struggled in his final two starts...after the season, he underwent labrum surgery, which will sideline him indefinitely into the year 2000...John missed the first 11 days of the exhibition season with soreness in his right shoulder...the No. 5 starter, he made his '99 debut at Los Angeles, April 9 and sustained the loss (3.1 ip, 9 h, 5 er)...postponements wiped out his next two scheduled starts, April 14 vs. San Diego (snow) and April 21 vs. Montreal (Columbine High School tragedy), two of Colorado's five postponements in April...Colorado then skipped John twice in the rotation...in attempt to keep him fresh, the Rockies gave him his first career relief appearance, April 23 at San Francisco, and he threw 2.0 scoreless innings on one hit, one walk and one strikeout, finishing the game...he had to wait 18 days in between starts, but returned to the rotation April 27 at St. Louis...in the first inning that night, the Cards scored four runs on three walks and four hits; Thomson gave up another run in the second and left after 2.0 innings, tying the shortest start of his career...he went 0-3 over his next three starts, and including his last four decisions of 1998, tied a club record with his eighth consecutive losing decision...after his start May 12 vs. New York (2.2 innings), Colorado optioned him to Colorado Springs (AAA)...but upon his arrival, a recurring blister problem on his right middle finger flared up, putting him on the minor league disabled list...he made just five starts for the Sky Sox (0-2, 9.45 ERA, nine walks, 18 strikeouts), and received his recall August 14...he rejoined the rotation August 15 in the first game of a split doubleheader vs. Montreal, and turned in his finest outing anywhere in 1999...he went 7.0 innings on six hits, two runs, earned, no walks and two Ks; he didn't allow a runner past first until Vladimir Guerrero touched him for a two-run homer in the sixth, and earned his first and only win of the year...he also met the Expos Sept. 7 at Olympic Stadium and again pitched well against them, going 7.0 innings on four hits in a losing cause...he pitched respectably against Kevin Brown and the Dodgers at Coors Sept. 19 (7.0 innings, eight hits, five runs, four earned, one walk, two Ks), but took another loss; Thomson received a complete game in the rain-shortened contest to move into a second-place tie (five complete games) on the franchise's all-time list...he closed the season with two tough losses, 4.1 innings at Florida Sept. 25 and 2.2 innings vs. the Giants Oct. 1, on his birthday...looking back, before his option to Colorado Springs, John was 0-5 with an 11.84 ERA in six games, walking 17 and fanning nine...after his return in mid-August, he was 1-5 with a 6.39 ERA in eight starts, with 19 walks and 25 strikeouts...what's more, going completely against the grain, Thomson pitched better at Coors Field (1-4, 7.01 ERA) than on the road (0-6, 9.32 ERA)...his offense averaged only 3.4 runs per start, and in four of his 13 starts, the Rockies gave him two runs or less...on Oct. 12 in Birmingham, Ala., Dr. James Andrews successfully repaired a torn labrum in Thomson's right shoulder; the next day, Andrews operated on John's blister-prone right finger.

1998

In John's first full season, he finished with a career-high eight wins, despite missing a month with a blister on his right middle finger...the only starter with an ERA under 5.00, Thomson held opponents to a .282 mark, tied with Bobby Jones for the lowest among starters...on the road he was 5-6 with a 3.45 ERA...most of his problems arose in four outings; in each game during that quartet, he went 0-4 and allowing 32 earned runs in 16.1 innings...in his other 22 starts, he was 8-7 with a 3.36 ERA (144.2 ip, 54 er)...in his first start, April 1, he won at Arizona, fanning four in 8.0 innings while allowing three hits, no runs and two walks, combining on a shutout...on June 4 vs. Arizona he tossed his season's first complete game, fanning a career-high 11 and allowing one walk on four hits...after logging 8.2 innings in a no-decision at San Francisco June 15, he arrived at the ballpark for his next start, June 20 vs. Los Angeles, and began his pregame bullpen routine; however, a severe blister on his right middle finger kept him from his start and the club placed him on the DL (retroactive to June 16)...he did not return until July 26, spending 40 days on the DL and missing 34 games...John won three consecutive games over four starts, August 6-23...on August 6 at Pittsburgh, he earned his second complete game of the year, on just four hits and one run.

1997

Thomson opened the year at Colorado Springs (AAA) but by the end of the season he was a key component in the Rockies starting rotation...in his final Triple-A outing he struck out 14 in 7.0 innings at Tucson May 5...called up May 9 by the Rockies, he made his major league debut May 11 at Philadelphia and was charged with the 3-1 loss despite seven Ks in 7.0 innings...he then allowed three earned runs in his next two starts (11.2 innings), but still came away with two more losses, dropping to 0-3...John lost his fourth consecutive start, May 27 to St. Louis, but finally notched his first big-league win, at Florida June 1; he tossed a seven-hit complete game with two walks and six strikeouts, and helped his cause by going 4-for-4 (a record hit total for a Rockies pitcher) with three RBI...Thomson fanned eight vs. Chicago July 27, pitching 8.0 shutout innings to earn the victory...he threw his first career complete-game shutout, Aug. 6 at New York, a four-hitter in which he allowed only two Mets as far as second base...in seven of his nine losses the Rockies scored three runs or less...he pitched 7.0 innings or more in 11 of his 27 starts.

1996

He opened at Double-A New Haven...John earned a spot in the All-Star Game and a promotion with his May performance: 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA...in his Triple-A debut July 12, he went 8.0 shutout innings, fanning seven in a win...during his four victories he compiled a 0.93 ERA.

1995

Thomson got his first Double-A experience...John recorded a season-best nine strikeouts in Game 1 of the Eastern League championship series.

1994

John started the year in Asheville (A) but finished with Central Valley (A-advanced).

1993

Thomson signed with the Rockies and reported to Chandler in the Arizona Rookie League.